Bittersweet
by Iceliena
Summary: Guilted by his feelings of the cause of the death of his parents, Richard Grayson has tried to avoid failure at all costs. Even if it means harboring feelings for Kori Anders, something he's always avoided. Chapter2 Revised RobxStar BBxRae BBxT RobxKitten
1. Hello Pretty Lady

**.REVISED VERSION.**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Teen Titans, whose characters are the basis of the story.

* * *

_"Bittersweet refers to a combination of the standard tastes of sweetness and bitterness, and is often used as a metaphor for experiences which have binary elements of happiness and sadness, or pleasure and pain." _

**- Wikipedia**

* * *

I walked.

I did a lot of walking. Everywhere I went, I walked. I had a car, of course, but that doesn't mean I have to use it. In fact, I have two cars. Having an important businessman for a foster parent has it's perks.

Walking just gives a better experience. The extra exercise gained from it left a feeling of satisfaction, where as sitting in a car using minimal amounts of effort felt like such lassitude and disappointing. Making an effort was much more exhilarating than the feeling of wind blowing through your hair.

Although, I believe the real reason I liked all of this was for the feeling of doing something right. I made mistakes, like everyone else did, of course, but I made much more than the average person. Or at least I believed so.

That is why I leave for school so early every morning. Being late would be a failure, so I always left at 7am. School started at 8, and it took half an hour of walking to get there.

I guess you could call me a bit of an overachiever.

Why would you want to be otherwise, though? Living a life of just getting by does not seem to be very rewarding. Although, neither does mine.

* * *

I arrived to school at 7:30, of course. I knew Raven was probably here already, as she came to the school early everyday so she could read in the library in peace. Her parents had been fighting more than usual as of late, apparently, but this was a secret. Raven had only told Victor and I, for Garfield would obviously tell, and she had always been distrustful of Tara.

I walked up to the building and placed my ID card into the scanner, resulting in the front door becoming unlocked. I walked towards the library and found Raven sitting comfortably curled up on one of the couches, absorbed in a book of French literature.

"Hey," I greeted her, leaning over the back of the couch. She continued reading to the bottom of the page and placing her bookmark inside before addressing me.

"Hey," she replied, glancing up at me, then looking towards the window. Outside the sky was gray and ominous, unusual for this time of year in a city like this. "You walked in that? It looks like the clouds are about to burst."

"I was willing to take the risk. Temperature wise, it's beautiful out. It's not hot like it's been for the past two weeks." I walked around the couch and sat beside her, picking up her book and examining it. She shot me a look and grabbed it back. Although we were best friends, Raven considered me foolish and irresponsible when it came to touching her things, fearing I would damage them. She claimed that her feelings were justified as I had once dropped one of her things in mud while exploring some nearby woods with Garfield and Tara. She seemed to forget that this incident had occured in the fifth grade, thus she would not let it go.

Raven was...different. She mostly kept to herself, but was more open with Victor, Garfield, Tara, and I, after having grown up with us. I was the last to meet her, but apparently she had been the same then that she is now--monotone, intellectual, reserved. Raven wasn't weird, though. She was beautiful, with deep blue eyes and violet hair that normally would break the dress code if purple hadn't been one of our school colors. She had a curvy body, but covered herself mostly with larger clothes to avoid male attention to her backside. Right now her tartan uniform skirt and loose black long sleaved off the shoulders shirt were helping to accomplish that. She wasn't awkward or unathletic, but she wasn't on any sports teams, which prevented her from reaching her potential. And contrary to popular belief, she didn't like death metal or "Satan-worshiping" music, but classical. Most people shied away from her due to thinking that she was a wiccan and practiced voodoo on them, and in a way I felt bad for her. I think she liked her mysterious impression on people, though. It kept them away from her.

"'Sup, guys?"

I turned around and saw Victor, giving him a wave.

"Why are you here so early?" I asked.

"Football meeting. Coach said that having meetings after school takes up valuable practice time, so we're having them before school now," he answered. I nodded my head at him in understanding. He was wearing his uniform, which meant there would be a game today. Besides purple hair, that was another exception in our school's dress code. For a private school, it wasn't very strict.

I didn't go to the most expensive school in the city, even though I could. Bruce, my foster farther, had insisted on it, but I wanted to live a normal life. He wouldn't let me go to public school, so we both settled on this.

"It's 7:50," I announced as I looked down at my watch. "We should head to our lockers."

* * *

I drummed my fingers on my desk impatiently waiting for homeroom to begin. Of course I had been early. Mostly everyone had arrived by now, considering the bell was about to ring, but of course the seat to my left was still empty. The bell rang, and soon after the owner of that seat came scampering in.

"You're late!" Madame Rouge exclaimed in her French accent. "That is your third late this marking period, Mr. Logan. You better watch yourself."

"Alright, alright ma'am," he replied, slumping down into his chair.

"Nice goin', Gar," I commented, and he sighed.

"Well, I was helping Tara because--"

"Quiet!" Madame Rouge reprimanded. We weren't allowed to talk during announcements. Garfield lowered his voice to a whisper.

"I was helping Tara because her locker was stuck, so I used my manly man muscles to pry it open." He paired this statement with a flew of his arm "muscle."

Garfield was a scrawny boy, no taller than 5'6", and an incredibly fast runner. He had an affinity for animals and had once dyed his blonde hair green. But the most prominent feature about Garfield was his unconditional love for Tara. They grew up next door together, and when they were younger they would hang out everyday after they each got back from their different schools. Garfield went to catholic school, where Tara had gone to public. Tara only goes to private school now because her godfather, whom she lives with, is a gym teacher here.

Ever since I met Garfield, he claimed that he would marry Tara, his love for her spanning back to his childhood. Tara's feelings are ambiguous, as she sometimes hints that she feels something for him, but at other times she can be outrageously mean to him. She wasn't always, but when she went to middle school, she became friends with the wrong crowd of people, and dating the "bad boys". Her recklessness was breaking his heart, we all knew, but he wouldn't talk about it or show it. He avoided any conversation of Tara and her other friends, how much they drank together, and which one we wondered took her virginity. She would never tell, but Garfield has implied that he knows. That probably also broke his heart.

I heard the sound of the door opening and closing, so I looked up in curiosity. A girl walked in, handing a note to Madame Rouge, whom she then briefly conversed with. I had never seen the girl before in the city, but she was one of the most striking girls I had ever seen. She had the body of a model, with long, tan legs and a diminutive waist. While Raven's weight was mostly carried most of her weight in her bottom half, this girl's was distributed more evenly, with a slight bit more mass in her chest than her hips. Her hair was exotically red, verging on the possibility of being unnatural, although her roots and eyebrows told otherwise.

The new girl slid into the desk to my right, and Gar leaned over across my desk, stretching his hand out to her.

"Well hello pretty lady, I'm Gar. What might your name be?" He topped off his question with a wink, and I rolled my eyes at him. The new girl giggled lightly at his antics and shook his hand fiercly. His eyes widened slightly at her strength.

"Why thank you, friend," she said with a smile. "My name is Kori Anders." Gar grinned. I could tell how his mind was working at the moment. '_She already considers me a friend, how fast do you think I can get in her pants?_' he would most likely say. Gar's flirtatious behaviour normally got him in trouble, usually ending with girls walking off from his trying to hard. I guess Kori was too nice.

"Way to be rude man, introduce yourself to the lady," Gar insisted, nudging me in the side with his elbow.

"Oh, yeah, right. Hi Kori, I'm Richard," I greeted her, also stretching out my hand. She shook my hand with just as much enthusiasm as she had to Garfield. "Man...you're a lot stronger than you look." She got slightly flushed and smiled at me.

"You truely believe so?" she asked. Her large emerald eyes looked at me hopefully.

"Definitely." I smiled back at her. "So, where do you come from?" After I asked this, I realized I said it almost...suavely. Garfield looked at me curiously before smirking and leaning back in his seat. He thought I was interested. Of course I wasn't, I never was interested. I didn't have time for girls. But I guess I was, in a way, trying to impress Kori. Of course, it was only to prevent her thinking negatively of me, which would be considered a failure. And that was not an option anymore.

"I hail from the city of Florence, in Italy. I presume that this Jump City is where you come from?" I nodded.

"Sorta. I moved here when I was eight."

"Where did you live before that?" Her intentions were innocent, so I covered up my discomfort. She didn't know; I couldn't blame her.

"I moved around a lot." It wasn't a lie.

"I also moved quite a bit back when I lived in Europe. My father is businessman, so now we are here so he can establish a new branch of his company in America." We already had two things in common. Well, sort of.

The bell rang signaling the end of homeroom, and Madame Rouge walked around to the front of her desk and began speaking.

"Bonjour classe," she greeted us in French, and we all greeted her back. The class was French III, a class of mostly juniors, with occasional sophomores and seniors. Gar was the exception, as he took an exam to be placed higher up due to his high French knowledge after helping Tara with her homework last year. I think he knew the language even better than she did now.

Madame Rouge announced to us that today we would be starting a project, based on chapter two in the book, and that we would have partners, assigned by her. Afterwards, a collective sigh filled the room. She quickly pointed out the groups, which were selected by her simply pointing to people near each other and declaring them partners. Due to her being next to me, Kori ended up being my partner.

We turned our desks together and I opened my book to the chapter, rambling off my thoughts.

"So...we have to do an oral presentation explaining what we like to wear. I was thinking maybe we could do a conversation explaining us going shopping and picking out what we want. How does that sound?" She agreed, and we quickly got to work, planning for about ten minutes before Kori strayed off topic, distracted by her schedule.

"Richard, I am...quite confused. My schedule says that my next class is located in room number 416. Certainly there cannot be an entire 416 rooms in this one building." I smiled at how clueless she was. It was kind of cute, but I shoved that thought to the back of my mind. I had to ignore my attraction to her outstanding beauty. It was clouding my judgment. I knew barely anything of this girl. For all I knew, her innocence and kindness could all be an act, and deep down she could be a ruthless man-eater. But I couldn't judge just yet.

"Oh, definitely not. Different hallways are just indicated by having different values of 100s, that's all. I can show you."

"That would be greatly appreciated." She smiled at me gratefully. I had to stop myself. I was trying to impress her again, trying to look good.

But I guess that was better than the opposing view. I could not let that become an option.

* * *

**Yes, I am alive, and I'm rewriting all earlier chapters to add more maturity, character accuracy + continuity, and writing quality. There will be plot line changes, which may later alter the story, so it is important to read the altered chapters to understand what is happening when future chapters are released. At some points, old and new chapters may not make sense together, I'm sorry, but it is necessary for the story to be of decent quality.** **Let's call the first version the rough draft, as I wrote this at the age of like, fourteen lol.**

**Revisions and new future chapters will only be done with fan support. If there is none, the story's staying as is, so no, you will not find out how Richard and Kori eventually end up. Give me reviews so you can know the ending :]]**

**Hopefully I will get the revisions done pretty fast. ((I wrote this in one sitting, and I will probably come back and change it multiple times. I'm always iffy about writing beginnings.))**


	2. Resistance NEWLY REVISED

**.REVISED VERSION.**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Barbara Gordon or _Barbie_.

* * *

Victor was the next one of my friends to meet her.

"So, I hear from the new girl that you're quite a cutie," he said to me after we met up between second and third period.

"Huh?" There was no way she could be interested. Already?

"Nah, just playin', man. I saw her in the office before, getting a map of the school. She said that a nice boy named Richard helped her understand the way the classrooms were arranged, but she was still having a bit of trouble, which is why she was there. So I was like, 'Richard? About this high?'" He put a hand out at about the height of his shoulders. "'Black hair, glasses, yells a lot?'" I glared at him. "And then she tells me that she it was all accurate except for the yelling part, and that you were very..._cordial_, as she put it. Are you trying to bang her?"

"No Vic."

"C'mon, you can't tell me you'd turn _that_ down. The girl's smokin'." I thought for a moment.

"As...tempting as the thought is, yeah, I would have to turn it down. I don't have time to go around to restaurants and movies and all those sorts of couple things. And I'd screw it all up, anyways, you know that."

"You're so damn pessimistic. And I never said dating, I meant--"

"I know. And no. That's not right."

"You need to pull that stick out of your ass, dude. You're missin' out on all the fun. We're _teenagers_, Richard. It's our job to have tons of sex with pretty ladies. Or atleast fantasize about it, in Gar's case." I grinned. Vic was right on that one. Gar, as far as we knew, was just as much of a virgin as I was, and he wished he had as much sex as VIc did, which we all knew was a lot, it was just never stated.

"I'm just...not ready for that responsibility yet. The chance of a mistake happening..._having a child_...I couldn't handle that. I don't have much luck with...family issues."

He nodded his head silently. He understood.

* * *

I passed through the morning moderately fast. French, History, Criminal Justice, and English had all been easy classes. Then it was time for lunch.

Tara was already at our table, texting away on her cell phone. I sat down at my usual seat, which left an empty seat between us. Gar sat beside her and Raven sat next to me, with Victor in between them, but they had not arrived yet.

Tara was petite, even shorter than Gar, and had a thin, wiry body. She had straight blonde hair and blue eyes. All of these features made her a perfect example of a "Barbie", but personality wise, she contradicted it. When younger, she was never one to worry about getting dirty from being outdoors, and still today she'd be willing to play with us guys in a game of football. But Tara also participated in some activities we didn't approve of, which was probably due to her wanting to rebel against her godfather, whom she's not quite fond of.

"'Sup dude?" she greeted me casually, punching me in the shoulder lightly. "What's for lunch today?"

"I'm not sure, wanna go up and look?" We walked together to the lunch line and got our food--pasta bar--before returning back to the table to see Raven, Vic, and Gar all in their seats, along with Kori unexpectantly taking up the chair that was usually left empty. "Hi." I flashed her a smile as I sat beside her.

"Greetings," she replied, smiling back. "Garfield invited me to come sit with all of you during our lunch."

"Did he now?" I raised an eyebrow at him. He leaned across the table towards me.

"Hey, I'm helpin' you out here dude. Now you have more time with her so you can get with her," he whispered and sat back down. I rolled my eyes. Nobody seemed to understand that even if I _did_ like Kori, I wouldn't act on it. But I didn't even like her in that way in the first place.

After lunch, Victor and I headed to AP Physics.

"I know you probably don't notice it man, but...you definitely were flirting with her," he informed me as we sat in our seats.

"How?" I questioned, my tone showing how thoroughly annoyed I was with the comments he and Gar had been making over the course of the day.

"I'm not trying to mess with ya here, I understand that you don't wanna get wound up in anything. But if you act the way you've been acting, you'll lead the poor girl on. She's a nice girl, I don't think she deserves that." I nodded.

"I don't see how I'm flirting...I'm just trying to make her feel welcome."

"Whatever you say man. But for the record, I think she was flirting with you, too."

* * *

I kept thinking about what Victor said throughout the next two periods. Seeing her in gym class didn't help much, either. She wore a tight-fitting t-shirt and short shorts, how was I supposed to not think about her?

Raven looked at me in concern.

"You look burdened," she stated flatly. "What are you thinking about?"

"A lot of girls flirt with me, right? It doesn't mean anything, does it?" I questioned. Afterwards, I realized she wasn't exactly the best person to ask when it came to typical female feelings.

"Well, from what I've collected, yes, a lot do. They thrive on their ability to since they know you're not tied down to anyone, you're incredibly rich, and you're not exactly repulsive looking." I smiled. We both knew she meant that the girls in our school thought of me as much higher than repulsive, to the point where it could get a bit creepy. "But I know you're talking about Kori." My smile faltered. "You wouldn't feel any different about her flirting with you than any other girl if you didn't have any interest in her. Richard, I know you. You see something in her, and you like it."

"Look..." I leaned closer and lowered my voice. "I...think she's...really...really pretty. But...its not like I really know her or anything. I don't like her, Rae." She gave me a look that said she didn't believe me. "Well...not...right now I don't. I could...develop those feelings if I knew her better...but I don't want to. I can't."

"And what if you can't stop yourself from falling for her?"

"I will."

"And if you don't? You can't control your feelings, Richard."

"I'm...not sure." I sighed. "I could ignore her...that could--"

"No Richard, you can't do that. You know it." I ran a hand through my hair in frustration, my bangs flopping down in my face awkwardly afterwards.

"Uuuuugh." I blew my hair out of my eyes. "I'll worry about this if I actually do end up liking her..."

"I think you already might be starting to."

* * *

I walked up the front stairs of my house, fishing around in my pockets. That's when I saw them. They stepped out of their car, the three of them, one of whom I recognized immediately. From the driver's seat emerged a tall, tan girl with straight and shiny black hair. Next, from the back seat, an auburn haired boy in his preteens scrambled out. Finally, a gorgeous, fluffy-haired redhead stepped out of the passenger seat. She saw me and waved a hand excitedly before running over to me.

"Friend Richard, we are neighbors!" She threw her arms around me in an embrace. I awkwardly placed my own hands on her back. Her arms rubbed against mine, and her skin was soft...enticing. I could smell her perfume due to our closeness. I tightened my hold around her. Sometimes, temptation was so hard to resist.

* * *

Somehow, we ended up together on our community's private beach. Not like a date though, of course not.

I laid on my back. She laid on her stomach.

"Richard, did you have difficulty adjusting when you moved here?" she inquired. I rolled onto my side and looked at her.

"No, why?"

"Well, today in school, some of the boys were quite interested in being around me."

"It means they think you're hot." She put a hand up to her forehead. I smiled. "Not like that. Hot is synonymous for...well, that they want to have sex with you." Her eyes widened.

"They most certainly do not think that I would easily--"

"No Kori. They're just dicks."

"Dicks?"

"Mean people."

"Ah. Well thank you Richard, for enlightening me." She sat up and smiled, hugging onto her knees. "So, do you also only like being around because you want to have sex with me?" I raised my eyebrows. _How was I supposed to answer that?_

"No Kori."

"Well thank you." She smiled. "In the past I have met boys who think differently; boys that only live for sex and care for nothing else." Was she talking in general, or about a past boyfriend? There was no way this girl who seemed so kind and innocent could have had sex. Even worse to think about was how low of a person they must have been to convince her, probably fooling her into thinking that they were deeply in love, destined to be together forever. I wanted to ask her about it, but I couldn't. I didn't know her well enough, surely she would not open up about something so serious that soon. Plus, I wasn't sure if I wanted to know.

"Sorry," I said quietly. She nodded.

"So am I." I so badly wanted to ask why, but I kept that desire hidden. I thought maybe of assuring her that not all men lived that way, and that I had never had sex, but I felt dropping the subject would be easier. And honestly, I would rather not discuss my sex life, or lack of one, with someone I had just met.

I'd only ever had one girlfriend, Barbara Gordon. It lasted a week, and it was in the seventh grade. I didn't even want to, but Victor had persuaded me to, telling me that I needed to work on my skills with the ladies. When I tried to break up with Barbara, she wouldn't take no for an answer, insisting that I must give her another chance, and that she could make me fall in love with her. She then attempted to back up her point by planting an awkwardly forced kiss on my lips with her own overly glossed ones. It tasted like artificial strawberries and was disgustingly sticky.

I refused to consider _that_ my first kiss.

"Richard, you seem to be troubled. What is it that is bothering you?" Kori asked. She reached a hand over and placed it on my shoulder.

"Nothing. Just thinking." I sat up, putting my weight on my elbows.

"Not negatively, I would hope." She leaned closer and peered into my icy blue eyes behind my glasses. I looked back into her beautiful green ones. I liked our closeness. I probably should not have. Her hand was still on me.

"No, not at all." She ruffled my hair happily.

"That is most good!" I picked up a hand and flattened down my hair. She messed it up again. I smiled at her. It wasn't worth trying to fix it again. She was flirting with me. I liked the thought of it, but it made me nervous. If she ended up liking me, it would be even harder to stop myself from developing feelings for her. Her lovely legs and cute smile were already hard enough to resist.

After the sun had set we walked back up the street to our houses. She hugged me again. I hoped she was just an affectionate person for her sake, but made sure to enjoy how comfortable and secure I felt in her arms.

She kissed me on both cheeks before leaving me.

I had to remind myself it was a culture thing. I couldn't help myself though, my mind wanted to make it more. I entered my house, walking to my room and laying face down on my bed. I had liked the feeling of her lips on me. They were soft, and didn't seem to leave any sticky strawberry residue. I craved more. I wanted to kiss her. I had to stop my feelings before they got too serious. I didn't like her yet. I still had some control.

I got up and headed to the work out room. Overworking myself to exhaustion would take my mind off of things.


	3. Detention

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Teen Titans.

* * *

I walked out of the door of the boy's looker room, and looked around the dark hallway. The contrast from the brightly lit locker room made me have to squint to see clearly. I could see Kori leaning against a wall about ten feet away, back in her lavendar sweater and white skirt. I quickly walked over to her and smiled. 

"Let's go," I said, holding out my hand. She gently placed her tanned hand onto my pale one and we began walking towards out English room, which is number 435.

"You are late!" the teacher snapped, handing us pieces of nasty, low-budget, yellow lined paper.

"Sorry. Kori was...having trouble finding a gym looker to put her stuff," I sorta lied. I knew that the locker room must be hard to find lockers in. The boy's locker room has almost no free lockers, and there are more girls than boys in the school.

"But that is no excuse for you, Mr. Grayson. I'll make sure to keep you five minutes extra for your detention. Now, go sit down and write a paragraph apologizing for passing notes in my class," the teacher replied. I quietly cursed at her for making me stay later.

The two of us began to make our way to a desk. I saw some familiar faces while we were walking. Gar was sitting near the front, chewing on his eraser in frustration. His paper was covered in little doodles and a bucnh of stuff he crossed out. Kitten, was two rows back, her paper blank. Suits her, really. It's as empty as her brain. She must've gotten in trouble the same time as Kori and I. I wouldn't know, really. I kinda tuned her out after she said said my name, because I know when a teacher's giving me a detention by now.

We ended up sitting in the very back of the room, next to the busted air conditioner. They can't get it to turn off, so nobody ever sits back there. The only reason we sat back there is because the teacher wouldn't hear us talk. She's deaf in one ear. I felt a little awkward sitting in the back, though. There were two seniors making out in the corner a few feet behind us. I looked over at Kori, who was already half done with her paragraph. Either she didn't notice the couple, or it didn't bother her. I kept thinking about what it'd be like to kiss Kori, and to tell the truth, it was starting to scare me that I'd think of that. I'd only known her for a day, and I'd fallen bad for her already.

Kori finished her paragraph and turned to me. "Are you finished?" she asked, looking over to see my paper. All I had written so far was my name in my horrible handwriting. Raven tells me it reminds her of a doctor, because they have the worst handwriting.

"...not really," I relied. I started to absentmindedly doodle little hearts on my paper. I mentally slapped myself and quickly erased the hearts, leaving gray smudges on the paper. I even ripped in in one spot.

"Here, you may copy mine, since I can tell you will not have much luck with it," Kori offered, handing me her paper. I took it and read it over. I'd have to change the way she worded it a bit so it'd sound more like me. What really caught my intrest about it though, was that she dotted her "i"s and "j"s with little hearts. I smiled. It was...cute.

I looked up at the timer on the teacher's desk that showed how much time until detention was over. One minute. Well, wasn't that pleasant. I rushed to copy down all of Kori's paragraph. By the time the minute was up, Kori had to take her paper and hand it to the teacher, and I hadn't written the last sentence. I thought hand and remembered vaguely what it had said. I shrugged and wrote down what I could remember.

"Ok, I'm done. Can I go now?" I asked as I handed the paper in. The English teacher just pointer at the timer and gave me a glare. I had to sit here for another three minutes. I started rocking back and forth in the chair for a minute. Then I began making the most _annoying_ squeaking sound with my shoes. The teacher _hated_ when people did that. I could see by her redding face that she was getting angry with me.

"Just leave!" she shouted, and I got up and ran out of the class. I slammed the door behind me and grinned back through the small window. A grin that said "I hate you, bye!"

"Finally," I heard somebody retort. I looked to my left and saw Kori sitting on the floor outisde the classroom doing her homework. She was giving me a little smile as she put her books back in her small black backpack.

"I would've been in there even longer if I didn't annoy the nag to death. Oh, and thanks for waiting for me. Apparenty Gar didn't..." I said, grinning. He probably left to go home and play his Gamestation. Figures.

"Yes, I asked him if he would like to wait for you, but he said he'd rather go home and eat the tofo than walk home and watch you drool, by I do not understand why you would be drooling," Kori said, putting a finger to her lips in wonder. I just rolled my eyes.

"Don't worry about him, let's just do home."

"Very well. Please, how will you know where I reside?"

"You could tell me." Kori looked down and blushed in embarrassment. But I could see a smile on her face.

"I...do not know the name of the street where my home is, but, it is near the beach. At the end of my street, there is a private entrance for citizens of the street." I knew immediately where she lived. There was only one street in all of Jump City were there was a private beach entrance. The one I lived on.

"Yeah, I know where that is. I live there," I told her. I tried to figure out what house she lived in. The only possible one could be that mansion next to the Wayne Manor, but...that place was huge. It looked like 20 people must live in it, and I hadn't seen any other "Anders" around the school.

"Oh, that is most glorious! We are neighbors! I wish to venture to your home one dayso we could possibly do the 'hanging out'!" Kori exclaimed. I'd never seen a girl so happy to go to my house. Probably because Raven and Tara had been in there so much, and they were the only girls that ever came over.

"Ok, wanna come over today?" I asked as I opened one of the school doors, the cool autumn air blowing through our hair. A couple of leaves flew into Kori's hair and she tried to pull them out, without much success. I laughed and began to help her take them out.

"Thank you. And I would find it most delightful to come to your home today, but I have no way of contacting my parents to tell them where I shall be," she replied, looking down at her feet, obviously saddened. I digged in my pants pocket and pulled out a small cell phone with an orange cover.

"You really need to get one of these."

* * *

"Alf-fred? I br-rought my fr-riend Kori over! H-hope it's ok! ...we'll b-be...in my room!" I yelled through chattered teeth as Kori and I walked into the front doors of my house. While walking home, an old lady watering her plants sprayed us with her garden hose for cutting across her lawn. The water was icy cold, and the brisk, freezing winds didn't help much, either. I'd taken of my old varsity jacket from last year and wrapped it around the two of us, but we were still freezing.

"K-kori, come on. My r-room's th-his way," I informed Kori, bringing her attention back from the room around her to me. I ran up the stairs with Kori trailing behind me. I opened the door to my room once we got up to the top, and Kori began looking around the extremely clean, empty room. The one light illuminated the orange and white wallked bedroom, giving it an eerie glow.

"Your room...it is so--" Kori began.

"Empty? Boring? Plain?" I interrupted.

"Clean. Much cleaner than my sister's room," Kori laughed. Ok, so Kori wasn't an only child like I thought.

Kori and I sat in my room playing Gamestation, talking, and watching TV for a few hours. Kori was surprisingly good at Gamestation. I've never seen a girl so good. The only girl I know besides her with any sort of skill is Tara. Raven doesn't even try, of course.

Then Alfred came in, telling me that he had ordered pizza for dinner, instead of making something. Bruce wasn't around, so we'd be safe. I liked pizza better than most of those fancy meals he's forced to make, anyway. Alfred then left the room, and said the pizza would be here in about ten minutes. I asked Kori if she wanted to stay for dinner, and she used my cell phone to call her parents and ask.

"Master Richard, the food is here," I heard Alfred call up the stairs. I always told him not to call me that unless Bruce was home. Bruce made him be way to formal.

"Come on Kori, let's go eat," I told Kori, dragging her with me down the stairs. I led her into the kitchen, and we sat down at the small table. Using our giant dining room would be pointless, since there were only three of us.

After dinner, Kori and I walked down to the beach at the end of the block. I went there almsot every night to see the sunset.

"It is most beautiful, isn't it?" Kori sighed as she rested her head on her knees,

"Yeah," I replied. Of course, I wasn't looking at the sunset.

After a few more minutes, the sun finally set, and the cool ocean breeze stated to make me shiver. Kori apparently took no notice to the drop in the temperature, because she got up and walked down to the water, letting the waves touch her bare toes.

"Richard, the water is most delightful! You must join me!" she cried, throwing her arms up into the air.

"It's...kinda cold," I said, not moving from my spot on the beach. Kori sighed and walked back over toward me, and did something I would've never guessed. She kicked sand in my face. "Augh!"

"You have no sense of fun, friend Richard!" she giggled, as she dug her toes into the sand. I really hoped she wasn't going to kick anymore at me.

"Well...I don't...really enjoy...cold toes...ugh," I told her as I a spat the cold sand out of my mouth. It tasted nasty. Like dirty fingernails that were chopped into salt sized pieces.

"well, I--" Kori was interupted by the loud sound of one of the town's large clock towers informing us that it was 8PM. Kori gasped. "I must be getting home!"

"Come on, I'll walk you!" I grabbed her wrist and we both started running up the sand dunes. She began tripping in her lavendar flip flops that were obviously a few sizes too big. Eventually we got up toward the wooden steps at the top and began running down the street which was illuminated by the yellow glow of streetlamps.

We reached Kori's front door and I could hear the sounds of a girl and boy yelling. It was in some othe language. I turned to Kori and raised an eyebrow. She just sighed and turned to me.

"Richard, I had a very good time today 'hanging out'. I have not had that much fun in a very long time. I...wish to thank you with the poem that people say back in my country, but it is...very, very long. I am sorry. So, um...goodbye," Kori whispered. She quickly gave me a small kiss on the cheek, and went inside her house, giving me a small wave before closing the door.

I just stodd there for a minute, trying to process what had just happened. I put my right hand to me cheek, and smiled.

"Goodbye."

* * *

Haha. Richie got sanded. He deserves it, of course. He does some very mean things in this story, as we've seen in chapter two. And...Kori just lives in some random European country, because she's obviously not like Spanish or Chinese or Indian or something. Anyway, review?  



	4. Is it Math or is it Chemistry?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Teen Titans.

* * *

The next week was mostly normal. Garfield and I got a couple detentions, Tara had to get a new locker, Victor got three touchdowns at the last football game, and Raven told me how much of an idiot I am. The only thing different was watching the sunsets with Kori, and just her being around. 

By Friday, Kori knew where everything was, how much lunch cost, what not to eat, and the times all the periods ended. She knew who sat at what tables in the lunch room and learned the different "groups" of people. She even knew the most fun ways to annoy the English teacher. Raven yelled at me for teaching her that.

"So, Richard, you throwing another one of your annual Halloween parties?" Victor asked that afternoon as he, Raven, Kori, and I rode down the street in his car toward his house.

"Of course. It's a tradition for the five of us. And Kori can come too," I replied. Kori turned to me with a confused look on her face.

"Party?" she questioned as we stopped at a red light. I was about to tell her about my "famous" parties before Raven cut me off.

"Every year Richard throws a party where something ends up going horribly wrong and we take digital pictures," Raven said with an evil grin on her face. Victor started laughing and I rolled my eyes.

"Remember last year...when Bruce came in while we were playing...truth or dare!" he said between laughs.

"Don't remind me of that," I mumbled, sinking into the seat cushion. Kori was giggling from beside me.

"Well, atleast if the worst possible thing has already happened, so nothing worse can happen this time." Somehow, that made me feel worse.

* * *

When we got to Victor's house, we all ran up the stairs toward his room. Vic and I started playing game station, while Kori and Raven talked about...whatever girls like to talk about. After a while, Vic got sick of playing game station and started playing chess with Raven.

"Watching friends Raven and Victor play chess is most amusing, yes?" Kori asked.

"Yup," I replied as I watched Raven get a checkmate and Victor started cursing at her and saying she cheated. "They're the only people who can make chess interesting."

We continued watching the chess game for a few more minutes, until Kori had to go to the bathroom. While she was gone, I had a very unpleasant conversation with Victor and Raven.

"So, when you gonna ask her out?" Victor asked, reffering to Kori.

"W-what? Ask who out?" I questioned, trying to drag out the conversation for a few minutes knowing that once Kori came back, it would end.

"Kori. I can tell you like her," Victor replied, a smirk on his face.

"No I don't!" I exclaimed. Of course, Victor wasn't going to believe that.

"That's not what you told me," Raven muttered as she put the chess pieces back in the starting positions.

"Oooh...what'd he tell you, Rae?" Victor asked, grinning.

"He was talking about her on the first day of school during second period and I asked if he liked her, and he said no, but I could tell he was lieing. Then I told him I wouldn't tell anyone, and he said thanks, so I knew he liked her," Raven replied as monotone as ever.

"You weren't suppossed to tell anyone, Raven!" I yelled. Raven rolled her eyes at me and Victor was having a laughing fit.

"Richard loves Kori!" Victor chanted. My face turned red and I pulled my sweatshirt hood up ontop of my head to hide it.

"Shuddup," I said as I sunk lower into the seat cushion of my chair.

"Wait until I tell Gar!" Victor laughed.

"No! You can't tell anyone! _Especially_ Gar! If you tell him, the whole school will know in less than an hour!" I yelled.

"Know what?" a quiet voice asked from behind us. We all turned around and saw Kori standing there, one of her red eyebrows arched high over her emerald eye.

"Richard loves you!" Victor shouted, and Kori just stared at him for a minute.

"...do you?" she asked, looking down at me.

"No," I lied. Kori went back to watching the chess game, and I started to think about what Victor had said. '_Maybe I do love her..._'

* * *

"Yo! Romeo, wake up!" I could hear a loud voice yell. I lifted up my head and opened my eyes. I looked around the room and saw Raven, Kori, and Victor looking at me. "I know homework's boring but I never thought it could literally make someone fall asleep."

"Sorry, I was thinking and I just kinda spaced out," I replied as I pulled my notebook off my face and put it back on the bed. I tried to remember what had happened. I was working on homework, and Kori asked me something, and then...nothing. I looked down at my math problem. "_i2+u2 equals c2, and c2 equals 69, so i2+u2 equals 69_" it read. "Ugh! My math homework's suggesting dirty things again!" Raven raised her eyebrow and snatched the book from me and looked over the problem.

"...ew," she said, handing the paper over to Victor. He started cracking up and somehow managed to hand it over to Kori. Kori looked at it for a minute.

"Friend Richard, I do not understand. What is so humorous about this? I can barely even read it," she said, looking at me with a confused face.

"It's nothing, Kori. Just, forget it," I told her. She went back to doing whatever homework she was doing, and I worked on the next math problem. After reading that, though, it was getting hard to concentrate. Being well, a guy, I started to think wrong things. My pen started to control itself and a bunch or hearts and "k+r" began to appear on my paper.

"Richard, that's your math homework, not chemistry," Raven said, a grin on her face. Victor was having trouble holding in his laughs when he saw my notebook. Thankfully, Kori had been paying too much attention to her own homework to realize what we were talking about. I quickly ripped the page out of my notebook, crumpled it up, and threw it across the room.

"That never happened," I whispered, and the two of them nodded. We went back to our homework, forgetting what I had writen on the paper.

"Richard, come here," Kori directed me a few minutes later. I got up and walked over to where she was standing, by the window.

"What is it, Ko--"

"Shh. The sun is setting," she cut me off, a small smile on her face. Raven and Victor were laughing from behind me. Idiots. I picked up Vic's football from the table next to me and threw it towards them.

"Ow."

* * *

Ok, first, to answer up a question I've been getting in a lot of my reviews (ok, so it's more like two xD) none of the characters will have powers. Ok:)

Just a short little filler chapter before I start Richard's Halloween Party. That alone is probably going to be around two chapters, and will have mostly humor, but a lot of fluffyness too, and we'll start to see some BBxRae :D Anyway, review please.


	5. Happy Halloween Part One

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Teen Titans, or Pepsi...or the _I'm a Little Teapot_ song.

**Dedication: ** Sammi, for picking Richard's song, and all my reviewers so far.

**Note: **Kimi Anders is Blackfire, just incase you can't tell.

* * *

The next four days went by fast, and the day of my "famous" party finally arrived. Kori and I were walking toward her house so she could get her stuff before the party started. The others were going to meet us at 3 o'clock. 

"I hope sister is home. I forgot my key," Kori said looking at me worried. We walked up the porch steps and Kori turned the doorhandle, causing the door to open. "Thank goodness."

"Hmm. Nice house," I muttered as we walked inside. I stayed close to Kori, not wanting to get lost in this large mansion. I sometimes get lost in my own house. Sad, really.

"Kori? Is that you?" a female voice asked from another room. I could hear footsteps coming closer and a tall girl with long black hair and violet eyes walked in wearing a gray t-shirt and a pair of dark jeans. "Who's your boyfriend?" My eye twitched at the sound of that word. Boyfriend. Every time someone said that word, it reminded me of what I wasn't--Kori's boyfriend. And I didn't like it.

"Oh, he is not my boyfriend, Kimi," Kori replied, her face turning pink. "He is our neighbor, Richard."

"Hello Richard," Kimi greeted me, a smile on her face. She seemed...nice.

"Richard, we must hurry! It is already 2:50!" Kori exclaimed, grabbing my sleeve and pulling me along a hallway with her. When we got to the end we stopped as Kori pressed a button on the wall next to a set of large, silver doors.

"An elevator?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. I didn't even have an elevator in my house.

"What? You do not have one?" Kori questioned. I hook my head as the elevator doors opened. "Come on." Kori pulled me into the elevator after her, and soon the doors closed and the elevator began to move upward. After a few moments, the elevator stopped and the door opened, revealing a large room with purple walls and a lot of windows. I slowly walked around and looked at the view of the ocean from behind the slightly tinted glass.

"Wow," I whispered. Kori walked over toward me and opened a sliding glass door, leading me out onto a small balcony.

"It is a most amazing view, isn't it?" she asked. I turned toward her and nodded slightly.

"Yeah," I replied as I turned back to look at the water, but still watching Kori out of the corner of my eye.

"We must not waste any more time," Kori sighed as she turned to go back inside. I reluctantly followed her back into the room. After flipping on a light switch for a very odd lamp that had a green lightbulb, Kori ran toward her closet and opened it. She threw out a white duffle bag and mumbled the words "hold this" before tearing through the articles of the closet. After a minute or so, Kori threw her extra school uniform behind her, hitting me in the face with it. "Could you put that in there?" she asked as she continued her clothing search. After another minute she pulled out an orange t-shirt, a pair of ripped jeans, and a brown sweatshirt and placed them on her bed.

"Kori hurry up," I informed her as I looked at the screen on my cell phone. It was 2:47. We had three minutes to get to my house. And Gar really complains when he has to wait for something. Kori ran to her dresser and began shuffling through a drawer, before throwing a pair of pink underpants at me. Right in the face, too. "Ahh! Kori!" I screamed, throwing the underpants in the bag. She quickly threw back some socks and a bra too. I was somewhat tempted to read the size on the tag, but I knew that'd be wrong. "Ugh, Kor, do you have to throw...things at me?"

"Sorry," she mumbled as she began to pull off her uniform top. I screamed and closed my eyes.

"KORI! I'm right here!"

"I have a shirt on underneath. Paranoid. What are you afraid of, anyway?" she asked, raising an eyebrow as she pulled on her orange shirt.

"Nothing, it's just...improper..." I muttered. It's not that I didn't want to look, but I'm not one to take advantage of a situation like Garfield or Victor. Kori quickly pulled on her pants, stuffed the clothes she threw at me in the bag, and picked up a pillow before grabbing my hand and pulling me to the elevator doors. We quickly got in and pressed the button about twenty times before the elevator started to go down. When we finally got to the first floor, Kori slammed her hand on the "Open Doors" button and we ran out.

"Bye Kimi! I'm going to Richard's house for his party!" Kori yelled quickly to wherever her sister may have been and we began to sprint toward my door. When we got inside my house we ran to the room where the party would be and she dropped off her stuff while I ran to the kitchen to get all the chips and stuff like that. When I got back into the room with Kori the doorbell rang causing me to jump and almost drop the chips. I placed them down on the table and ran to the door with Kori following behind.

"Hi guys!" I greeted as I opened the door. Kori walked up behind me out of breath and lazily leaned on the door frame.

"Uhh, what have you guys been doing?" Victor asked "Because you look all sweating and you're panting and--"

"Ok, seriously. You're sick," I said cutting him off. Garfield and Tara caught on to what Vic was "suggesting" and started laughing. Raven rolled her eyes at them, mumbling something insulting under her breath. "Just, come in." I muttered, signaling them all to follow. When we got into the room, they all sat in random places and began talking. Kori with Tara, and Raven with the boys.

"I got another Gamestation controller," I announced, holding up the gray device. Victor and Garfield started looking at it as if it was a God before quickly hooking up the Gamestation to the TV in the room and plugging in the three controllers. Raven glared at me and walked over to talk to Kori and Tara. They began whispering and giggling a few times. I could only make out a few words of their conversation. "Richard", "yes", and "ohmygod" were a few of them. I didn't know what to make out of that.

After a while, Garfield and Victor got sick of playing Gamestation, which I thought was never possible. Instead, we decided to play truth or dare.

"No repeats of last year," I warned, trying to forget that hrrible memory. Garfield laughed for a second before Raven pulled him down onto the floor by his ear. "Go first, Tara," I told her as I handed over an empty Pepsi bottle. She twisted it lightly and it slowly turned over toward Garfield.

"Truth or dare, Gar?" she asked, a wide grin on her face. Tara always asked the most...interesting questions. Sadly, we all knew that by now, and we also know she came up with horrible dares.

"Dare," Garfield replied. Tara began to rub her chin and think.

"Hmm...I dare you to...go in a closet with Raven for ten minutes," she said, her grin returning to her face. Garfield's eyes went wide as she said this. So did Raven's.

"No. No one am I going in a closet with that little--"

"Sorry Rae, a dare's a dare!" Victor interrupted as a grin formed on his face as well. Raven groaned and began to reluctantly walk toward the closet while Garfield happily followed.

"We'll tell you when time's up!" I said glancing at the clock. It was 5:13.

"Here, Victor, your turn," Tara said as she handed Vic the bottle. He quickly spun it, making it land on me. 'Oh great,' I thought.

"Truth or dare, Richie?" Victor asked a large smirk on his face. Neither choice was safe. If I picked truth, he could make me tell how I felt about Kori, and that was bad. If I picked dare, he could pick something worse than what happened last year.

"...d-dare," I replied hesitantly. Victor began to think for a minute. He obviously didn't expect me to pick that after what happened last year.

"I dare you to...jeez this is hard. I used up all my good ideas last year!" Victor complained. After a few more minutes of thinking another smirk grew on his face. "Sing."

"W-what?" I asked. I really hoped he didn't say what I thought he did.

"Sing," he repeated, his smirk growing. Tara started grinning as well. They knew I hated singing, and they had never heard me sing. They probably assumed I was horrible, which I probably am. I haven't sung in a long time, so I don't even know.

"Uhh...could I maybe do...something else?" I suggested, trying to get out of singing.

"Oh, please friend Richard! You must sing for us!" Kori cheered me on.

"Uhh...o-ok. Um, what should I sing," I said, giving in.

"I'm a Little Teapot," Tara snickered. My eyes widened.

"No. Way. I don't even know the words," I replied. Tara started laughing. I guess it's kinda sad that I don't know the words to a nursery rhyme.

"Then let me sing it with you! I know the words!" Kori exclaimed, standing up and pulling me along with her.

"Kori, I--" Kori began to sing quietly, and I sighed. I couldn't make her do this alone, it was my dare. I nervously shuffled my feet before beginning to sing along, almost, if not as, quietly as she was. "I'm a little teapot, Short and stout, Here is my handle, Here is my spout. When I get all steamed up, Then I shout, Just tip me over and pour me out."

"Richard, see, was that so hard? I think you are a good singer," Kori assured me, smiling wide.

"Yeah, whatever. I'm just happy it's over," I mumbled before going to sit down. When I tried, though, Kori stopped me by pulling me into a hug. Victor started laughing quietly.

"You need more confidence, Richard. You doubt yourself too much," Kori whispered into my ear. I could feel my face turning redder as she said each word. And I could hear Vic's laughs getting louder. But at that moment, I didn't really care what the other's around me were thinking. All I cared about was the girl who's arms were wrapped around and was whispering to me. Because I knew that she cared about me, too.

* * *

Haha. I think I had too much fun with this chapter. Richard in Kori's room was a little hard for me to write, though. I didn't want Richard to sound too much of a pervert, but I needed him to sound like a guy. (I'm a girl, people, in case you didn't know) And I'm debating on whether or not I should write a little one-shot about what happened to Raven and Garfield when they went in the closet. Tell me in your reviews if you want me to, and I'll get on it if enough people ask. 

I feel like a loser, though, because I had to google the song lyrics. Please tell me I'm not the only one who doesn't know that song all the way. And I can't wait for the...chapter after the next. The Morning after the party. Richard wakes up to a little...surprise, but I'm not giving it away ;D Anyway, review, please.


	6. Happy Halloween Part Two

I feel so cruel ;; I haven't updated this in a while. I'm sorry. I've been reading too mutch FMA... Anyway, I hope that I'll be able to update frequently again. This isn't a very long chapter, but it's something. And I have the next chapter planned out, so I'll have it up soon. And that BBxRae closet one shot, too.

**Dedication:** robinlovestarfire for being my 50th reviewer. But I love you all for your reviews.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Teen Titans, or the Ring, or Scary Movie Three. And anything else in here that I forget that happens to be owned by others xD

* * *

Right now, was one of those moments where you wish you could be anywhere else in the world. I could hear the laughter to Tara, Victor, and Garfield filling the room. Garfield and Raven had recently returned from the closet, and it was time for their revenge on the rest of us. Raven had dared Victor to eat Garfield's tofu, which resulted in a trip to the bathroom. And Garfield...dared Kori to...kiss me. And that's what was about to happen right now. 

I pulled my head farther away from the girl who was slowly moving closer to me. She looked to be getting more and more nervous the closer she came. I backed up a little, pressing myself up against a couch. Kori crawled over and continued to move her head in closer to mine. I couldn't move back anymore, and she was now too close for me to get away. The laughter seemed to get louder when she was within three inches of my face. When she was just centimeters away when she stopped, biting her bottom lip.

"Um, I...I am most sorry about the displeasure this may cause you," she whispered. The other's didn't notice, since they were to busy rolling on the floor laughing, except Raven, who had her nose stuck into a book.

"Uhh, i-it's ok. It's not your fault," I glared over at Garfield as I said this. "If anyone should be sorry, it's him." Kori giggled lightly before moving in to close the small gap between us. She quickly retreated and went back over to where the others were, her face red as a cherry. I smiled to myself and followed after her, my face probably even redder.

"Ok guys, we're done, you can stop laughing now," I told the others, annoyed at their amusement. After about three minutes they calmed down, for the most part, except Garfield, who I knew was never going to forget about what had happened. I sighed and decided to order pizza as an excuse to leave the room.

When the pizza came it gave me another excuse to leave the room, due to the fact that Garfield and Victor were having way too much fun decribing Kori and I's kiss. I didn't really count it as a "real" kiss, tough. She only did it because she was dared too. And it only lasted like, two seconds. But it some little dark corner in the back of my mind, I was wishing it was...

"That'll be $38.95."

"W-wha?" I asked, escaping from my thoughts.

"The pizza, it's $38.95," the delivery boy repeated, holding out the boxes. I quickly pulled some money out of my pocket and handed it to the boy.

"Keep the change," I told him as I ran off with the pizzas. When I got back in the room, Garfield was doing another re-enactment of Kori's dare, pretending to be me. Victor was holding in his laughter, while Tara was acting as Kori. Raven just rolled her eyes at them and I would've went and thanked her, but I didn't want to interrupt her any more while she was reading.

"So, Garfield, how was the closet?" I smirked. Garfield stopped laughing and sat straight up. Raven turned her gaze toward me, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah Gar, how was it? You and Raven do anything interesting?" Victor asked, grinning evilly. Tara snicked a bit at the now embarrassed Garfield.

"No! O-of course not. W-we just kinda s-sat in there for t-ten minutes until you let us o-out," he stuttered. Kori and Tara were giggling loudly and Victor was grinning even bigger. I couldn't help but laugh a bit.

"You sure that's all you did it there...?" Victor questioned, raising his eyebrow. Garfield opened his mouth about to speak, but was interrupted before he could do so.

"Enough. This is pointless. It was just a stupid dare. All we did was sit in there and wait for you to let us out. Gar was even counting the seconds, but lost count after about two minutes," Raven spat out in her monotone voice. All of us stopped laughing, except Victor, who just doesn't know how to shut up.

"Looks like somebody has a soft spot..." Victor whispered to her.

"Shut up," she replied, glaring at him. The rest of us decided to leave the room, not wanting to get Raven any madder. Kori and Garfield went to the kitchen to get plates and cups for the pizza and soda, while me and Tara went to get the movies I we were going to watch.

"Oooh, Wicked Scary! We should definetly watch this one!" Tara suggested, holding up the tape. "Oh, and the Ring! Last time Gar watched this, he turned it off half way through. He almost peed his pants!" Tara started giggling at the thought.

"Sure, as long as I don't have to clean it up," I said as I looked through the shelves. "Scary Movie Three."

"Oh God, yes! That movie's hilarious! Although I wish it had less...boobs in the beginning," Tara mumbled.

"If only we could get Victor and Garfield to agree with you..." I muttered to myself. After about another three minutes, Tara and I returned to the room with the others. Garfield and Kori had already brought out all the plates and cups and set them on the table. Vic and Gar had already opened two boxes of pizza, one with all meat toppings, and one with vegetables, and had eaten about half of each one.

"Pigs," Raven commented. Tara nodded her head in agreement. Kori opened a box of plain pizza and took out a slice, while Tara took a slice from the pizza with half anchovies.

"So, what should we watch first?" I asked, showing the movies to the girls.

"Save the scary movies for later," Tara said, smirking.

"Scary Movie Three, Richard?" Raven questioned the movie I had placed on the table. I just shrugged and pointed to Tara.

"Me? You picked it out!" she shouted.

"Well, you agreed to watch it." Raven groaned and went back to looking through the movies.

"Um, friend Raven, this 'Scary Movie'...is it very scary?" Kori asked while Tara and I argued.

"No, it's a comody. It's just called 'Scary Movie' because it makes fun of actual scary movies," Raven replied.

"Then maybe we should watch that one first?" Kori suggested.

"AWESOME!" Tara agreed, just stopping right in the middle of the fight.

"Yeah, whatever," Raven said, sitting down on a small couch.

"I guess it's good I agreed, isn't it Richard?" Tara asked, a small smirk on her face as she walked by and sat next to Garfield. I cursed at her under my breath before sitting down on the larger couch next to Kori.

During the movie, I was explaning the jokes to Kori half the time. Although, she did understand some of them. Just those really dirty ones with double meanings got her confused. After we finished watching it, we put the Ring on. Bad idea. Once we got up to the part where the horse jumps off the boat and dies, she couldn't watch anymore. I think it was the blood that did it. She was clinging to my arm and had her face buried into my shoulder. I would've liked the attention if it weren't for the fact that she was so unhappy.

After that, we watched Wicked Scary. Another bad idea, but Victor suggested it. Kori had pressed herself against me and was strangling my arm. She was even hidden under a blanket.

"Kori, it's just a movie," I reminded her. I could feel her fingers digging even deeper into my arm. "Kori, it's ok," I whispered. Her grip loosened, but she still held my arm. After a while I could feel her arms sli away and she felt heavier. I turned to look at her, and she had fallen asleep. I looked around the room and noticed everyone else was sleeping, too. Raven was curled up on the other couch, her book on the floor. Victor had reclined the chair he was sitting in, and had an empty pizza box on his lap. Tara was sprawled out on the floor, with Garfield next to her, snoring loudly. I suddenly felt my eyelids getting heavy. I glanced over to a clock on the other side of the room. "4:32 AM" it read. I leaned my head on the armrest at the edge of the couch and closed my eyes after stealing Kori's blanket.

Then I fell asleep.

* * *

Eh, filler-type chapter. But a lot of the early on chapters will be. We're currently in the eye of the hurricane, and we will soon reach the eye wall. Basically, that's a metaphor meaning that the story is nice and calm and happy now, but sometime soon ( -coughLATENOVERBERcough- ) something bad is going to happen. And it will have something to do with a little blonde-haired girl.  



	7. We're Just FRIENDS!

**Dislaimer:** I don't own Teen Titans.

**Dedication:** Hmm...this one's for Kittie, because you're awesome 8D

* * *

The bright, morning sunlight began to fill the room, annoying me greatly. I could feel the sting of how bright it was even through my closed eyes. Reluctantly, a peeled my eyes open slowly, but immediatly snapped them shut. '_I'm dreaming,_' I thought. '_This isn't happening. When I open my eyes, she won't be there._' I hesistantly opened my eyes again. I wasn't dreaming. 

"K-kori?" I asked, trying to wake up the redhead. I pushed her shoulder lightly, but she just mumbled in her sleep and buried her head deeper into my chest. She was ontop of me. Somehow in the night she must have fell onto me, and the blanket got ontop of her. Her garnet hair was in my face, her left leg hanging of the side of the couch. If I were to move at all, we'd probably fall.

"Kori?" I whispered again, a little louder this time. If Garfield's snoring wasn't waking the others up, then I definetly wouldn't. I started poking her arm, which was wrapped around me with her hand ontop of my head. "Kori, get up." Kori started to stir, and after a minute her head lifted up and her eyelids opened, revealing her olive green eyes.

"Richard, why are you..." she trailed off, realizing the answer to her own question. Her face turned bright pink and she tried to look away. "Oh... Uhm, I...I am sorry." Kori suddenly pulled away her hand from the back of my head causing it to hit against the armrest of the couch. The vibrations caused us to tumble over the edge of the couch, creating a loud crashing sound.

"Ow," I muttered as we landed on the floor. The two of us were now squished together in the small space between the coffee table and the couch, our noses touching. I could feel my face heating up and sweat forming on my forehead. "Uhh..."

"_What_ are you two doing?" Raven asked, looming over us. One of her dark eyebrows was raised high above her azure eye, almost reaching her hairline. Tara turned around from her spot on the floor and looked at us, her grumpy face cracking into a smile from seeing our current position.

"Woah," she laughed. She brought her hand up to her mouth to hold in her giggles while Raven just stood there with a questioning look. I was really happy Gar and Vic were still asleep.

"Don't. Tell. Them," I warned the girls. They both looked at me confused. "Scratch that. Don't tell _anyone_." They nodded in agreement and went to get ready for the school day, running toward the bathrooms. Kori slowly removed the blaket that was tangled around us and got up to her feet.

"Need a hand?" she asked, extending an arm out to me. I smiled and grabbed onto her hand, my fingers lacing through her's. I was swiftly pulled up from the ground, and the two of us began getting out uniforms. "Richard...how many showers do you have...?"

"Three, why?" I asked. Her eyes widened and she began to sprint out of the room and down the hallway before I could blink. She was going to get to the last shower before I did. I got onto my feet and began running after her, my bare feet going numb from the cold floor.

* * *

I slumped down into my seat in homeroom and sighed as the bell rang. Garfield walked in dragging his feet tiredly while tuning out Ms.Rouge's yells of "_You're late!_" The girls had taken forever in the showers, making us run late. Victor almost ran a red light on the way here. And we only had a minute to run from the senior parking lot to our homerooms. I wondered if Tara, Raven, and Victor were late.

"Do you think the others got to their homerooms on time?" Kori asked.

"I don't--"

"No talking during the announcements, Grayson!" I glared at Ms.Rouge and cursed at her quietly.

"And for those who have forgotten, next Friday is the Homecoming dance!" the boy who did the morning announcements exclaimed cheerfully. How could he be so happy about it? He didn't have a date. And he probably wouldn't get one. I sighly glumly, realizing I didn't have one either. Sure, about 20 or more girls had come up to me and asked already, but I didn't want to go with them. Most of them were really annoying or mean. Kitten must've stuffed atleast ten letters asking me to go with her in my locker already. I just pretended not to get them. If I rejected her...she'd kill me.

I felt a tap on my shoudler from the right, and turned to see Garfield. "Ask Kori to go to Homecoming with you," he whispered.

"No way," I replied. "She doesn't like me like that."

"Why do you think she hugs you all the time?" he asked.

"She hugs everyone! She's just very...emotional," I explained.

"Yeah but she hugs you the most," he argued. I rolled my eyes. "Why would she of kissed you if she didn't like you that way?"

"Because you dare--"

"Grayson, do you want detention?" Ms.Rouge yelled. I slid down farther into my seat and looked down at my feet, thinking. '_She doesn't like me that way. We're just _friends_. That's all I am to her, a _friend_. Just like the others. She--_'

"_Friend_ Richard? Are you ok? The bell has rang," Kori's kind voice informed in, interrupting my thoughts. "Are you unwell, _friend_?" There was that word again. "_Friend_".

"I'm _fine_," I snapped as I got up from my seat and started to walk away. "Let's go, _friend_." Kori stood there staring at me as I walked off. Garfield raised an eyebrow and put a hand on Kori's shoulder.

"What's up with him?"

* * *

The days went on and I continued to get asked out by many various girls...and Kitten. But still not who I wanted. When I turned down the most popular girl in the grade, people started to get a bit suspicious of why I was turning so many girls down.

"Ok, Grayson, who do you like?" she asked me during Social Studies. We were working on a stupid group project with another guy named Wally on Julius Ceasar.

"What are you talking about?" I questioned as I turned a page in my textbook.

"Come on, you obviously have a crush on another girl if you wouldn't go out with me," she replied. I rolled my eys at her "logic".

"Barbara, you're being stupid."

"Stop hiding it, Richard. Everyone else thinks so too. So who is it? That goth friend of your's?"

"...ew. No, we're just friends. And she doesn't like it when people call her a goth."

"What about that short blonde girl that lives next to Gar?" Wally suggested.

"Tara? No. She's also just my friend." The both of them starting to think, probably wondering who _hadn'_t asked me yet.

"That new girl?" Barbara asked, smirking.

"W-what about her?"

"That's who you like, isn't it? I've seen you two around the school. It's so obvious. I don't know why I didn't think of it before!" She stood up and knocked on the wall to get everyone's attention. "Hey everyone, guess what I've found out?"

"BARBARA, _NO_!"

"Richard likes Kori Anders!" I sunk down in my seat and pulled my hood over my head. I could hear a few people trying to hold in their laughter and not being very successful. About twenty other kids knew about my feelings. Twenty kids with big mouths. My life was over...

* * *

"Well, that was an _interesting_ class," Raven commented as we walked out. She had an amused look on her face as she turned to me. "What'd you think of it?"

"I hated it," I replied glumly. My feet dragged on the ground as we walked down the dark hallway. A lightbulb went out as I walked under it. '_Well, isn't this a pleasant day._'

"I expected that," Raven informed me with a slightly happy tone to her voice.

"_She CAN'T find out Raven!_" I yelled from behind her. She stopped and turned around looking my straight into the eyes.

"Then don't let anyone tell her. You're in her next class, right?" I nodded my head. "Then get there before somebody else does and talks to her!" She shoved my shoulders and I began to run into the art room. Kori was sitting at a table next to Garfield, who was twirling around in his chair like an idiot. I quickly went over and sat next to her and she looked at me questionably. We hadn't talked since the incedent in homeroom last week.

"Uhh...Kori, could I talk to you after class?" I asked hesistantly.

"Why can you not speak with me now?" she asked bitterly.

"I'd rather not with all these...people around." She turned away and started talking to Garfield after nodding her head at me. During class I checked to make sure nobody else talked to her. If she found out that I liked her, she'd probably feel really awkward around me. She might not even want to ever talk to me again.

When class ended I dragged her out into the hallway. She stood there and looked at me, waiting for me to speak.

"Uh, first of all, I um...want to say I'm sorry for what happened last week. I was just in a bad mood from Ms.Rouge yelling at me so much." Kori smiled a bit at me, making me feel much better. "And...I wanted to ask you...something."

"What is it?" she questioned, moving a bit closer to me.

"Well, I--uh well...Homecoming's in a few days and I...well I Was wondering if you wanted to...you know...go...with me?" I stuttered out. Kori's smile grew and she threw her arms around me suddenly. I blushed a lot, considering that we were in the middle of the hallway.

"That would be most glorious!" she said, beaming. I smiled back, still blushing. "But, we will just be going as _friends_, correct?" I wondered what to say. That was what I originally intended but...she accepted, very happily, without even knowing if we were going as a couple or not.

"Yeah, just..._friends_," I replied. I wasn't going to risk her finding out how I felt. The bell for lunch rang, and I noticed that the hallway was now empty.

"Oh, I left my purse in the art room," Kori said frowning. "I guess I shall meet you in the lunch room." Then she did something I didn't expect. She pulled my head up toward her's and lightly brushed her lips against mine before walking off. I stood there and stared for a minute, confused. I placed my fingers onto my lips where she had kissed me. My brain had slowly begun to process what had happened. She _kissed_ me. And she wasn't dared that time.

* * *

Whoo! More kissies xD;;; I just like putting these little kisses in there to make you get so annoyed with me because they won't become a couple until February in the story -spoilermomentyo- And it's...like November 8th at the end of this chapter. They're going to kiss atleast two more times before they even have a "real" kiss. (Don't you love me torturing you like this?) But no more for November. Not until December. But two other people will kiss in November ;D And I need to get to writing the closet thing... 


	8. Homecoming

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Teen Titans.

**Dedication:** ... my luffly birthday twin, Samishi, who really needs to get back online sometime soon.

All during lunch I sat there extremely confused, the kiss constantly replaying through my head. I wanted to ask her why, but I didn't dare talk about it infront of Garfield, Victor, Tara and even Raven. Maybe she knew I liked her. Somebody could have talked to her in the halls before I met her in art. Or I could actually be that obvious (according to Victor, I am) Maybe, she liked me. The chances are slim...really slim, but I guess it could happen. I snatched her purse away while she ate and searched for a piece of paper. After digging through a mess of pens, gum, make-up, and...girl stuff, I found a small star-shaped notebook in the bottom of the green and pink bag. I messily tore a piece of paper out, and stuffed the notebook back in.

"ask 2 go 2 the bathroom at 1 and meet me by the side of the auditorium. i want 2 ask u something," I scratched down quickly with a pink pen I had taken from her. I dropped the pen back into her purse and crumpled the paper up into my hand. I looked at her hand on the table, about a foot away from me, and grabbed it. She turned toward me, looking confused. I turned her hand over, placed the paper in, and closed it up into a fist. My hand lingered on her's for a moment, before I slowly pulled away.

During the rest of lunch I continued to sit there quietly as I thought. I only opened my mouth to laugh a bit when juice spilled on Garfield and he started flipping out. After that I went to woodshop, and Victor was getting a bit concerned by my quietness.

"Yo, man you ok today? You're all spaced out," Victor questioned as he stopped me from almost cutting off my fingers.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I replied distantly. Victor raised one of his eyebrows.

"Does this have to do with Kori? Gar told me something was weird between you going on for about a week," he asked. I sighed.

"Yeah, but we're atleast back to normal." I wasn't exactly sure if I could call it that. Sure, we talked again, and we were back to being friends, but...that kiss was complicating our friendship. I couldn't figure out what it ment, and I was starting to get a headache. I looked at the clock in the room and noticed it was 12:58. I figured I'd go meet Kori now. I left the room, saying I was going to the nurse because my head hurt (well, it did) and walked quietly down the hallway. The only noise I could hear were the sounds of a women's shoes tapping lightly on the floor. When I reached the auditorium, I looked around and realized the tapping shoes were Kori's. She continued to walk over, and stopped about half a foot away from me.

"You wished to speak with me about something?" she asked quietly. It was awkward talking in the middle of the cold hallway. I wished they would turn the air conditioners off by now. It's November, after all.

"Uhh, yeah. I would've asked you in lunch, but I didn't want to talk about it with everyone around, because it's about..._us_," I whispered, putting emphasis on the word "us".

"Us as in...a couple?" she inquirered, blushing slightly. I nodded my head.

"Yeah um, before...when you...kissed me, why did you kiss me?" I forced out in a cracking voice. Kori looked down at the ground.

"Hehe...um, this boy, I believe his name is Wally, stopped me in the hallway and told me it would make you happy. Although, you look more," she placed her hand on my forehead, "And feel more...sweaty about it. I did not anger you by it, did I?"

"No, not at all, actually I...kinda, sorta, maybe...you know, liked it." I tuned away to hide my blushing face. She smiled.

"Richard...do you--" the bell rang, and students began to fill the hallway. I heard her sigh angrily. "Time for math..." she growled, walking off.

* * *

"She..._growled_?" 

"Yeah, it was like she wanted to curse out that bell for ringing," I replied. It was Friday night--Homecoming night. Raven was over calming me down before I went. I had been nervous all day. I began telling her about the whole kiss two days ago after she asked me to explain how I was so nervous. '_You'd be nervous too if you'd had told her you liked that kiss! She probably thinks I'm in love with her now!_' I remember saying. She replied with an obvious answer of '_You are._'

"Is the tie necessary?" I asked as I looked into a mirror. I wasn't very big on wearing fancy junk.

"Yeah. It's a dance Richard, you gotta be atleast semi-formal," she answered as the pulled something out of her backpack. I stared at her as she pulled out some roses and shoved them at me.

"...why are you giving my flowers...?" I questioned. "I don't like you that way."

"Give them to Kori, stupid!" she yelled, placing her face in her hand. "I don't know how you're in honors math, seriously." We began to walk down the stairs toward the front door. "Now, tonight will give you the perfect chance to tell Kori that you love her." She opened the door and pushed me out.

"I'd rather not..." She rolled her eyes and went to close the door. "Wait, how come you're not coming to--" The door slammed in my face. "Fine, be that way." I slowly walked up to Kori's house, and climped the steps to her porch. After taking a deep breath, I pressed the doorbell and I could hear quiet ringing from inside the house. After a minute, the door opened revealing Kimi standing there in a long navy t-shirt and black pants.

"Oh, hi Richard. Kori should be down in about a minute," she explained and turned around, bellowing into the halls. "KORI, your date's here!"

"We're just going as friends," I said, glaring. Kimi muttered a "riiight" before walking away, leaving the door open. I heard the ding of the elevator in the distance, and the sliding of the doors. Kori stepped out and began walking toward me, and I couldn't stop staring. She had on a lavendar dress with a little floral design on the bottom. Her ruby hair had some small braids in it, and most of it was pulled into a bun. She gave me a small smile as she reached the front doors. I nervously held out the flowers toward her, worried what she might think. "...these are for you."

"I never thought someone like you would be the kind of person to give out flowers," she giggled, taking the roses into her own hands. I smiled. '_Thank you, Raven._'

"Heh, me either," I mumbled. "Come on, we have to pick up Garfield and Tara. Victor drove his girlfriend there himself, and Raven's not going, so it's just the four of us." I took her hand and led her down the stairs and down the street toward one of my limos.

"You got a limo for only four of us?"

"What? This way I don't have to drive."

* * *

"So...Grayson, I see you have decided to come to the dance with somebody." I turned around and saw Barbara Gordon looking down at me, a smirk on her face. "You must really like her if you turned down everyone else." 

"We just came as friends," I snapped. Barbara sighed and rolled her eyes.

"But, you could've came with anyone as friends. And you choose her over everyone else. That says something," she replied, twirling a strand of her curled red hair that fell into her face. I continued to rock boredly in my chair.

"Well, she didn't come up and ask me to go as a couple," I muttered. I wished Kori'd get out of the bathroom already. Barbara was really annoying me. She sat into the chair next to me and leaned her elbows on the table, her chin on her hands.

"Yeah, but maybe she wanted to go as a couple. You never asked."

"How would you know?"

"I'm not stupid, Richard. I know you. You are horrible at dealing with people. I can't imagine how horrible you are around her when you're not in school."

"very," I muttered, looking down at the ground. Barbara snickered.

"I expected that. You really should--"

"Richard?" I heard from behind me. I stretched my neck and leaned back to see Kori standing there back from the bathroom. Not smart. My chair started to fall back and toppled onto the floor, with Kori underneath. "Ow." Barbara started giggling.

"Smoooth. I'll leave you two alone now!" she laughed, walking off. I quickly climbed up onto my feet and lifted up the chair. Kori got up after and began un-wrinkling her dress.

"I never knew those chairs were so hard..."

"...sorry," I looked down and shuffled my feet in embarrassment.

"It is, ok. It was not--"

"Nice wipe out, dude!"

"Thanks," I muttered as I turned around to look at Garfield and Tara. Gar was stuffing his mouth with cake while Tara held a glass of punch. "Anyone see Vic?"

"_I madnt ean mm,_" Garfield said through a mouthful of cake. We all raised out eyebrows at him and he quickly swallowed. "I said, 'I haven't seen him.'"

"Me either. He's probably off somewhere with...whoever his girlfriend is. I haven't seen Raven yet, either," Tara said, sipping her punch.

"Oh, she's not coming, she's--" I felt my phone start vibrating in my pocket. I pulled it out and opened it, accidentally hitting the speakerphone button.

"_Did you tell her you love her yet?_" Raven asked through the phone. I started blushing as everyone within five feet (which was only Gar, Tara, and Kori) could hear. Garfield snickered.

"NO! And I probably won't for atleast a long, long time! Maybe not ever!" I snapped the phone shut and stuffed it back into my pocket.

"Richard, who is...'her'?" Kori asked as she bit her bottom lip. Oh great.

"Uhh, nobody. Raven's loosing it! I always knew she was a little senial!" I replied, rubbing the back of my neck. Tara and Garfield started cracking up and I glared at them.

"Oh, so...there is not a girl that you love?" Kori questioned shyly.

"_Wouldn't say that..._" I muttered quietly as I walked away to get something to eat.

* * *

"Go fish, Garfield." 

"URGH! ARE YOU CHEATING?"

"No." Garfield moaned and took a card from the stack, adding it to his large hand.

"Sweet, two twos!" he cheered. He placed the two twos down on the table. It was his only pair. We had decided to play cards at the dance, since we had nothing better to do. Tara couldn't stand dancing with Gar anymore, and I just didn't dance. Although, I'm not sure why Gar carries a deck of cards around with him.

"Kori, do you have any queens?" I asked, looking at the only card left in my hand, a queen of hearts. Kori groaned and handed my a queen of spades, while Garfield continued his rant about me cheating.

"Yo, guys, why are you just sitting here like bumps on a log!" Victor commented as he walked over to our table. "You're suppossed to be dancing! Not playing cards. We're not in Vegas!"

"Garfield's a horrible dancer. He steeped on my feet...16 times," Tara retorted. Vic looked over toward Kori and I.

"What's your excuse?"

"I don't dance," I replied as I shuffled the cards.

"That's a horrible excuse, Grayson. You two, dance. Now," Victor pushed the two of us into the center of the rooms in the middle of a bunch of dancing couples.

"Uhh..." I stuttered as I stood there. Another song came on, and it was a slow song. "Um, I guess we should--"

"D-dance?" Kori grabbed one of my hands, lacing our fingers through each other.

"Y-yeah." I placed a hand lightly on her waist, and she put hers on my shoulder. We began to dance slowly to the music, and I began to like dancing (atleast with Kori) Every once in a while I'd look over Kori's shoulder and see Tara smiling and Garfield laughing. Victor even sat down for a minute and took a picture with his cell phone. We continued to dance until Garfield interrupted us a little bit later.

"Hey, Romeo and Juliet, there's no music on anymore! The dance has been over for like ten minutes!" he shouted at us. Kori and I blushed and quickly pulled apart from each other. As we started to leave Tara pulled me to the side for a minute.

"I thought you didn't like dancing."

"I changed my mind."

* * *

Whoo, it's past midnight. Let's all celebrate xD Uhm, yeah. Don't have much to say, 'cept for that the darker stuff is coming up soon. No more mindless fluff! (although, fluff will return briefly for Christmas) November really starts everything off, because somebody dies. -spoiler- Although, the darkest stuff happens around...January/February. Although, after the dark stuff, we'll see some fluff again :) Oh, and I've got that BBxRae oneshot up (finally)  



	9. Richard and Kori vs Fang

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Teen Titans and does anyone even seriously read these things? xD

**Dedication:** Uhm, uhm... tvdramamaster, because they were the first person to review the story.

**Note:** There's like, one bad word in this chapter, but...it's rated T for a reason :P

* * *

I used to always think the best advice Raven had ever gave me, was that taking art class would be a bad idea. Of course, when she told me that, I didn't listen. That was a mistake. But, Raven's advice she gave me in the car on the way to school, was much better. 

_Stay away from Kitten for a little while. She probably saw you Friday at homecoming with Kori. She's gonna be pissed."_

It would've helped much if I paid more attention to her advice, though.

"_Hellooooo_, Richie," I could hear Kitten's annoying voice drag out. I turned my head to see her leaning onto the locker to my left. Her blue eyes were narrowed and she had a large grin on her face.

"...Kitten. What do you want?" I asked annoyed. I went to take my books out of my locker, but Kitten slammed it shut. Suddenly, she had me pinned up against it. "What are you doing?"

"Kiss me," she demanded, puckering up her lips. My eyes went wide and I tried to get free, but she had some pretty strong arms.

"Uhh, I...don't like you that way. I barely even like you at all," I replied. She glared at me and leaned in a bit closer.

"Come on, Richie, just one kiss. It can't be as bad as kissing that red-headed snob," she whispered. I growled at her and struggled to get away, but she dug her fingernails into my arms.

"Don't you have a boyfriend?"

"I'll give him up for you." She continued to move in closer, and I turned my head towards the side. Her lips were just about to hit my cheek when an angry voice from down the hall stopped her.

"Get away from her," the tall, dark-haied boy growled through gritted teeth. Fang. Kitten turned around and looked at him angrily.

"Fangie, I'm busy, can this wait a minute?"

"Get her away from me," I groaned. Kitten brought a hand up to my face and slapped my hand. "Ow..." Fang came over and grabbed her arm fiercely, throwing her to the side.

"You trying to kiss my girlfriend?"

"No, she was--"

"Yes, Fangie-Poo, he was. It was _sooo_ devestating. You came just in time!" Kitten lied. I rolled my eyes at her. Fang immediatly pushed me toward the ground.

"Stay back, baby, this might get a little messy," he ordered. Kitten quickly ran off toward her class. He cracked his knuckles as I got onto my feet. Fang ran toward me and tried to punch me in the face, but I ducked and rolled away. I stood up again and he tried to knock me back to the ground by kicking my legs, but I jumped up just in time to save myself.

I ran to a bathroom door, Fang following right behind me. As I went in, I slammed the door behind me. I heard a loud thud as it shut. He walked into it. After a moment I opened the door and a fist came running toward me, hitting me right in the nose. I flew backwards and knocked into a wall, slidding onto the cold floor. I brought a hand up to my now broken nose, blood getting all over. Fang came closer, clenching his fists and his eyes narrowed.

I swiftly pulled myself up and ran toward a sink. I began to try to pry off a faucet tap, getting a quick glimpse of myself in the mirror. My black hair was even more messed up than usual and my nose was turning black and blue. All of a sudden, Fang's reflection showed up behind me, grinning evilly. 'Oh crap.' My icy blue eyes widened as I turned around and bent down low, kicking him in the shin. He toplled back into a urinal, a look of disgust on his face.

I punched the tap off the sink, cutting my hand in the process. Blood ran all the way from my white knuckles down my arm, staining my white shirt. Water began to gush from the tap, like a geyser, drenching the room. My hair was pressed up flat against my head and fell into my eyes, which wasn't helping at all. I immediatly chucked the tap at Fang and began running out of the bathroom, my wet shoes squeaking on the soaked floor.

When I got outside, I leaned against the wall next to the door and took a second to breathe properly. I put one hand to her chest and used another to brush my dripping wet hair out of my eyes. The bathroom door suddenly swung open, causing me to jump. Fang stepped out, his face red with anger. I could see blood running from a cut on his face, where he had been hit with the tap.

"I'm not done with you yet!" he yelled. He lifted me into the air by my neck with his right hand, choaking me. I could feel his nails digging into my neck as his grip tightened.

"Let...me...go!" I forced out, punching him in the stomache. He flew back against a window, and placed a hand where I had punched him. He began to cough up some blood and grunted angrily. I kneeled on the ground, breathing heavily, but was interrupted as Fang got up and kicked me in the side. I gasped for breath as I climbed to my feet, using a wall for support. "Look, I wasn't trying to kiss your girlfriend! She cornered me!"

"LIES!" he shouted, punching me in the face. I flew back a few feet until I hit a water fountain, the water soaking my back as I pressed against the button that turned it on. I placed my clean hand up against my cheek, a trickle of blood running down it. I looked at my bloody hands with wide eyes. I wouldn't last in this fight much longer.

Fang started to limp over, obviously starting to get fatigued from fighting so much. His feet squeaked on the floor as he took each step. When he was about two feet away, we both froze as we heard a quiet voice.

"R-richard?" the sweet voice stuttered. I looked down to the end of the hall to see Kori standing there, a horrified expression on her face. Fang turned his head around to get a better look at who had saw us. "What are you doing?" Fang quickly ran over toward her and slammed her against a locker, one hand on her neck, causing her to shriek a blood-curtling scream.

"If you move, you're little girlfriend will pay," he threatened, digging his dirty nails into her arm. Small trails of blood traveled down her arm from where his fingers were.

"No! Don't hurt her!" He grasped tighter onto her neck causing her to gasp for air. Tears started to form in her Jade eyes and began running down her face. "She has nothing to do with this!" Fang just narrowed his eyes and curled his lips into a smile. He'd found my weakness, and he wasn't going to let her walk away without a scratch.

"She does now. I know Kitten doesn't like her. Maybe I should..._eliminate_ this little 'problem'." My eyes went as wide as possible, and I could feel tears beginning to well up in them. I couldn't even remember the last time I cried.

"...no," I breathed out. His fingers dug deeper into her neck, making it hard to breathe. Her face began to turn blue. "NO!" I ran towards him and punched him in the jaw. He stumbled back a few feet and Kori collapsed onto the ground, placing her hand on her chest. She began panting and reached up to grab my bloody wrist. I looked down at her tear-stained face, and wiped away my own tears, which only smeared a bunch of blood on my cheek.

"Thank you," she whispered, taking her hand away. My eyes looked from her face to her arm, and winced at the sight. Blood ran down it from five different spots, staining it almost as dark as her hair.

"I'm not done with you, yet," Fang threatened, standing up. He started to stomp toward me, glaring menacingly.

"KORI, GET OUT OF HERE!" I screamed, pointing up the hall. Fang started sprinting toward me, but Kori threw out her leg, causing him to trip. She stood up and hid behind me, her hands gripping tightly onto my shoulders. Fang got up to his feet and glared at her.

"You're gonna regret that!" He grabbed her hand and pulled her up towards him in one smooth motion. He began to bend her arm back, and she screamed in pain. Quickly, he threw her down to the ground and turned to me.

"_You bitch!_" I screamed, kicking him in the stomache. He fell down onto the floor, holding his it and groaning in pain. Blood dripped out of his mouth, and he looked as if he was going to be sick. I stepped on his chest, causing him to choke again. "Touch her again and you'll wake up a girl."

I stepped off and kneeled down of the ground next to Kori. "You ok?" She shook her head no. "Let me see." I gently took her arm and brought it into view, Kori wincing from the movement. The bone was sticking out of her arm near her elbow, blood flowing all over it. "This is why I told you to leave." I let go of her arm and lightly hugged her. She brought one of her bloody arms up to my back, the other hurting too much too move.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. I could feel tears running down my face again, and I sniffled a bit. "Richard, why are you crying?" She brought her only clean finger up and wiped away my tears.

"You could've died, Kori. If I'd lost you I...I...well, I'd be really sad," I choaked. Kori gave me a comforting smile and began to shakily stand up. She reached out her good arm and I took it, getting up myself. "W-where'd Fang go?"

I looked down at the ground at where he had been laying. All that was there was a bit of blood. "Strange." I shrugged and began stumbling toward my class, but almost fell after three steps. Kori slipped her right arm around me, saving me.

"Thanks." I stood up straight and put an arm around Kori's shoulder to help stop me from collapsing. We began to walk down the hall, almost falling a few times.

"Maybe we should go to the nurse," Kori suggested. Why hadn't I thought about that?

"Good--argh!" I felt something hard hit me in the back of the head with a thump, and I began to fall. Kori turned around to see who it was, and couldn't save me in time. I fell hard on the floor. I swear I heard my head crack. My vision began to blur, and Kori and Fang's bodies began to fade away. The last thing I heard were Kori's frantic shouts of "_RICHARD!_" And then everything went dark.

* * *

My first time doing a fight scene. There'll be another one in about two month story time (which means maybe in a few weeks it will be written) And no, Richard isn't dead. It's kinda obvious he can't be, because that would end the story xD No more narrator. So he's _mostly_ ok :) (Besides, how could I kill off the hawtest character on the show o3o)  



	10. Healing

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Teen Titans...or Wheel of Fortune. But I do own a TV Remote.

**Dedication:** Becky, because we're gonna burninate the author of _Touching Spirit Bear_. (The kid gets mauled by a bear in chapter eight, and he has to crap later on but can't move and it's nasty and then he gets hungry and eats his puke. Yeeeaaah...don't read it.)

* * *

Dull beeping from nearby droned on, filling my ears. It was really annoying, and it wasn't helping my severe headache at all. I pulled the pillow out from underneath me, slamming it on top of my head to drown out the noise. After a moment, I realized something was odd. '_Why do I have a pillow? Shouldn't I be on the..._' Memories of the fight with Fang flowed back into my head, and I shot up in the bed I was on. "Kori!" 

I looked around the room, frantically. I was in a hospital. To my right, was a wall with a small window in it, the light of the half-moon the only visible thing in the dark landscape? To my left, there was a monitor, and a few feet away, a bed. I could hear the quiet breathing of whoever it was behind the curtain which blocked them from view.

The door handle began to jiggle, and my eyes shot towards the door. It opened, and a short lady who looked in her twenties walked in, holding a clipboard in her gloved hands. "Oh, you are awake! Your friend was waiting for you to wake up, but I had advised her to go to sleep. You might as well get some rest, too. It is 4AM."

"My friend? Who?" I questioned.

"The red-headed one, Ms.Anders," she replied, pointing toward the bed across the room. "She's here, too. Don't wake her up, though. She was up until at least two. She needs her rest." The nurse scribbled down something on her clipboard, and turned on her heels, walking out the door. As it closed lightly behind her, I climbed off the bed, and limped over toward Kori's, my legs still tired and sore. I pulled the curtain aside, and looked at her. A cast was placed on her left arm and was held in a sling. Her right had been bandaged up to stop the bleeding. It was horrifying to know that this was my entire fault in the first place. If I had listened to Raven's advice and did a better job of avoiding Kitten, then the fight would have never happened.

"Kori?" I tapped her elbow with my right hand, which was bandaged due to the cut I got when I knocked the tap off the sink. She groaned lightly in her sleep, and her eyes slowly opened.

"Richard!" she exclaimed, stretching up and throwing her arms around me. "You are all right! The doctors were afraid you might have received damage to your brain..." She giggled lightly at this, and I rubbed the back of my head, feeling a bandage wrapped around it that traveled up to my forehead and back.

"Yeah, I'm fine. And I think I'm all right in the head, too. You ok?"

"I am feeling much better than I did before, although I must wear this for a little while." She frowned and lifted up her broken left arm, obviously displeased. "Although, I guessed it's better than a broken nose." She smiled a bit and let out a small laugh. I brought a hand up to my bandaged nose and grimaced. I probably looked like a giant bruise.

"I don't think I'll be going to school for a while."

"Why not? They said we are to go home tonight, and Fang has been suspended, so once we go back, we will not be attacked."

"I probably look like a piñata that someone tried to tape back together."

"Richard, you look fine. Much more than that, even..." she muttered. I blushed lightly, and when she noticed that I was staring at her, she did too. "I said that out loud, didn't I?"

"Yup." She turned away to hide her red face, but I put a hand on her cheek and turned her head back to face me. "But, don't worry. I think you're very _fine_, too." She looked at me confused, and I smirked. It was a lot easier to admit something when using American slang...

* * *

"Can't they just buy a vowel already?" 

"Don't tell me you're watching that." My eyes shot over to the door and saw Raven standing there, Tara and Garfield behind her.

"Maybe..."

"Friends!" Kori exclaimed, hugging them. Raven groaned while the other two just stood there.

"Ok, hug's over," Raven said annoyed, pushing Kori off. The three of them walked into the room, the girls sitting on the beds, Garfield on a plastic chair.

"So, I guess the rumor that Richard's paralyzed isn't true?" Tara asked, placing some flowers on a small table between the beds. There was a small tag on it that a bunch of people had signed, including Raven, Garfield, Tara, Victor, Barbara, and Wally.

"Or the one about Kori's arm being torn off?" Garfield questioned.

"No," I replied. "What other things are people saying?"

"Well, there's those, one saying you guys faked it to get out of school, one saying that you guys were trying to kill yourselves, and one saying you're dead," Raven answered. '_Weird people... _' I thought. '_Very weird people..._ '

* * *

Kori stepped out of the front door of her large house, a light blue sweatshirt over her uniform to keep her warm in the cool November weather. She walked down the stairs to the sidewalk and came next to me. "Are you ready to go?" 

"I've been ready for about 5 minutes," I replied, taking her right arm and leading her down the street. We walked through the town towards the school, taking the long way for once. Normally we would walk across lawns, cut through Raven's house, and jump Ms. Rouge's fence, but today, due to our..._injuries_, we couldn't.

When we reached the school, a lot of people were staring at us. It was creepy. When we got into homeroom, a girl with short pink hair in pigtails came up to me. I think her name started with a "J"… "Nice nose."

"Shut up." I sat in my seat between Garfield and Kori, dropping my head onto the desk. The bell rang soon after and the announcements began. The only thing somewhat interesting was the announcement the 22nd was a half-day. After the announcements, Ms. Rouge began to take attendance.

"Richard Gray—pick up your head, Richard. And take off your hood in school."

"No." Ms. Rouge gave an annoyed groan and walked over to me, flipping the hood of my head. I grunted and she whacked my head. "Aaaargh!" I put my hands on my head, my temple burning in pain. "Why the hell did you do that!"

"I got your head up, didn't I?" Ms. Rouge retorted. I glared at her angrily.

"You don't whack somebody in the head if they it smashed into the ground two days ago!" I growled, lifting up the hair on my forehead. Below it was the bandage that wrapped around my head. Ms. Rouge winced and walked away. I pulled my jacket hood back over my head and slumped down into my chair. Everyone was staring again.

During English, Kitten wasn't there, which was good and bad. Good, because she couldn't screw my life up any more. Bad, because no one could pass notes too Kori, but she was too busy getting her cast signed, anyway.

During History, I resorted to talking to Barbara, since we sit next to each other, due to alphabetical order. "So, what happened exactly?" I sighed.

"I'd…rather not talk about it…" Barbara raised an eyebrow at me.

"Why not? It couldn't be that bad if all you did was break your nose…" I lifted the hair from my forehead again, revealing the bandage. "What did you do?"

"According to Kori, I got whacked in the back of the head, and my forehead smacked into the ground. I think I cracked my skull a bit or something. They had to check me for brain damage—don't say anything. The bandage is stopping my head from bleeding on you." Barbara shuddered and turned away, muttering an "ouch".

By the time lunch came, I officially declared this the second worst day this year, the worst being two days ago. Almost getting kissed by Kitten and dying is worse than getting laughed at for a bandaged nose.

"Richard, you must eat something."

"I'm not hungry, Kor." Kori frowned at me and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Are you feeling well? Is something bothering you?"

"I'm fine." I began to trace little circles on the table with my finger. Kori moved her tray of food, which was now just the few remaining crumbs, over towards me slightly.

"Richard, if you do not eat—"

"I'm not hungry."

"Something is troubling you."

"I said I'm fine!" I growled and sunk down into my seat. Kori turned away from me, sadness in her eyes. "Sorry. I'm just…not in a good mood today."

"I do not blame you. I am also not in the best of moods."

"Why not?" It was weird to hear Kori say she was in a bad mood. I wasn't even sure if it was possible.

"I…" The bell rang, cutting her off. She sighed and walked over to the garbage can, throwing out her tray. She began to walk out the room, and down the hall. I quickly snatched her arm, and pulled her aside.

"Come on," I told her, pulling her aside. We walked over to the exit behind the gym, and Kori constantly asked me where we were going. I pushed open the doors and walked into the large field behind the school. I spotted a tree near the edge of the field, and leaded us over to it. "Tell me what's wrong."

"Richard, we must go to class," Kori stammered. I just sat down, pulling her with me.

"This is more important. Why aren't you happy? You're always happy." I put a hand on her left shoulder, and she shuddered. That was the bad arm. She pushed me away and stood up, shivering a bit from the cold.

"I'm going to go to class…" She took one step, but froze as I wrapped by arms around her. I could feel her shivering stop from the warmth. She began to try to break out of my arms, but I wouldn't let her go. A strong gust of freezing wind blew through the air, and she stopped, turning around and burying herself into my jacket for warmth. I sat back down by the tree and wrapped the jacket around us to keep warm.

"So, what happened?" Kori looked down at the ground, and then up at me. For a moment she just stared, but then she began to raise her hand up to my forehead, lifting up the hair that hid my bandage.

"There…is this rumor. It is why the fight started. They said you were…fighting over Kitten, because she…kissed you," she answered. I winced at the thought of that.

"Well, it's somewhat right. Kitten was _trying_ to kiss me, but Fang showed up and thought I was trying to kiss her—which I'd never even consider doing—and he got all mad at me for it," I explained. "Besides, it's your job to kiss me, apparently." Kori blushed and looked away, out at the gray sky.

"People seem to like to see your displeasure when I kiss you," she muttered. I began to twirl a strand of her long hair absentmindedly. She didn't seem to notice.

"It doesn't bother me," I replied.

"It bothers you when Kitten _tries_ to."

"Yeah, well, I don't like Kitten." Kori smiled and leaned her head on my shoulder.

"Does that mean you like me?" she questioned.

"Maybe," I answered. She snorted and lifted up her head, looking at me.

"Is that a yes or a no?"

"It's a maybe, Kori. I'll tell you, but…not now. Someday." She frowned and leaned over, kissing my cheek. I blushed slightly.

"Maybe I can persuade you to tell me," she mused. I rolled my eyes.

"Good luck with that." Kori sighed and punched me in the shoulder. I laughed and pulled her over closer toward me, her head leaning on me again. We sat there for a little while quietly as the sky got darker. Soon, it began to rain. "We should go back inside."

"Agreed." The two of us got up, Kori wearing my jacket, and ran over towards the school. Water splashed up and soaked our jeans as we ran through the forming puddles. Our shoes felt heavy as mud caught on to them from the wet ground. Before we even reached the door, it was pouring. I heard a shriek from behind me, and turned around seeing Kori on the ground. She slipped.

"Come on," I commanded as I pulled her up. She wiped mud off her skirt as we ran the rest of the distance toward the door. When we got there, I tore it open and ran inside, shivering. Kori handed my jacket back, and I quickly put it on and warmed up. I pulled out my cell phone and looked at the clock. "It's 12:07. The bell's gonna ring in six minutes. Let's sit in here until it does. It'll be weird for us to be walking around until then."

"It'll look stranger if we walk around soaked," Kori reasoned.

"Let's go get dry clothes from the locker rooms before the period ends." The two of us then walked into the building, parting ways when Kori went into the girl's locker room. When I reached the guy's locker room, I got a quick glance at myself in the mirror. My hair had gotten messed up, revealing the bandage. I quickly fixed it, hiding the sign of my injury from sight. '_Nobody needs to see that._'

* * *

Pretty long chapter. 2,300-something words. I have Word, now, so it's a lot easier to write this. Notepad is not fun. You can't use italics, and it doesn't spell check. And I make typos a lot, so spell check helps me when I write. And Word's Word Count Tool helps me see if the chapters are decent lengths. 

I'm not exactly a medical genius, so...try not to be too critical on the injuries xD


	11. If It Wasn't Already Bad Enough

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Teen Titans, or Monopoly, but I do own a Hello Kitty watch :D

**Dedication: **AirGirl Phantom, my 100th reviewer 8D

* * *

"Richard, does this look like a present friend Tara would like?" Kori yelled across the store we were in. I groaned and walked over, looking at what Kori was holding. It was lotion and stuff like that. It was a few days after we had returned to school, and Tara's birthday was coming up. The two of us went along with Raven to buy her presents. 

"Don't ask me, I'm a guy," I replied. "I'm just giving her money. Much easier."

"But you have known friend Tara much longer than I have. You know her better," Kori reasoned.

"Raven knew her longer. I moved here when I was eight. Ask Raven," I told her. She ran over toward the other side of the store, where Raven was looking through some shirts. After a minute, she came running back toward me.

"Friend Raven said to ask you because she's not girly enough." I rolled my eyes.

"Bitch!" I screamed across the store. Sadly, there was a store attendant nearby. And little kids. So I got the three of us kicked out.

"Nice going, Grayson. Now I can't get a present," Raven snapped as we walked out.

"Then just give her money," I replied.

"Well, not everyone was adopted by a billionaire and has an unlimited supply," Raven muttered.

"Well, _sorry_ my parents are dead!" Raven froze and looked down toward her feet.

"Sorry, I…shouldn't have brought that up…" she trailed off. I began to walk away angrily, towards the food court. I could hear Kori running after me. When I reached the food court, I quickly found a table and slumped down at a chair, Kori soon showing up next to me.

"Richard…friend Raven she…"

"Just shut up, Kori." Kori frowned and got up from her seat.

"Very well." I sat there and watched as she walked off back toward Raven, disappearing into the sea of shoppers.

"Way to go. Now _two_ of your friends hate you…"

* * *

"Yo, Richard, what's up?" I could hear Victor's voice ask. I looked up to see him and Garfield standing there, holding trays of food. "Why're you just sitting here all depressed looking?" 

"My best friend and the girl I love both hate me," I sighed.

"Well, that sucks. What'd you do?" Garfield asked, sipping his soda. I began to explain what happened and every two minutes Garfield would interrupt. Finally, I finished, and by then Victor's tray of food was gone.

"Ok, let's go fix this," he announced, lifting me from my seat.

"Wha? But—Raven's horrible to reason with and Kori shouldn't forgive me anyway because of what I do to her on a regular basis," I mumbled.

"Jeez, what do you do to her?" Gar asked, raising an eyebrow.

"On the first day of school, I yelled at her after she got hit in the face and got her detention. On Halloween, she almost died from watching the scary movies at my party. Then, I got all pissy at her just because she called me her friend. I fell on her at Homecoming. Because of me, Fang broke her arm, and I've denied liking her about six times," I told him.

"Dude, you are horrible when it comes to girls." I glared at Garfield for a moment.

"Like you're any better?"

"I'm _way_ better! The ladies, they can't resist me!" Victor started cracking up.

"Oh yeah? 'Cause Raven _so_ digs you!" he mocked. Gar snorted at us.

"Of course. I see those looks she gives me. She so wants me!" Victor started laughing harder, and Gar whacked him with a food tray, resulting into them two arguing.

"Hey!" I interrupted. "Aren't we supposed to be fixing my problems?" Victor and Garfield stopped.

"Right! Gar, find Raven. I'll find Kori. Richard, you stay here so you can't screw anything else up," Vic commanded as the two of them ran off into the mall. I sat there bored, looking around at the people in the mall as I waited. A few minutes later, Garfield came running back, dragging a reluctant Raven along beside him.

"Raven, I'm…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten us kicked out of the store," I apologized.

"No, I should be sorry. I shouldn't have called you a girl. If anyone here's a girl it's Garfield," she snickered. Garfield pouted and crossed his arms. "Eh, we love you anyway…mostly."

"You know you do," Gar replied, winking at her. She groaned and rolled her eyes, and I started laughing.

"Yo, what's so funny?" The three of us turned around to see Victor, with Kori attempting to hide behind him. Raven began to tell Victor about Garfield's…gender and I walked over to Kori.

"I'm sorry, Kor. I'm an idiot. I really need to start being nicer to you," I sighed. Kori placed a hand on my shoulder and looked at me.

"Maybe, but…it is ok. You were just, not in a very pleasant mood. Ever since the fight with Fang, you seem to have been more angry with…everyone." Kori frowned at me, her hand traveling down my arm to my own and laced her fingers through mine. She looked down at my hand, the cuts from the fight still healing. "But, I do not blame you. After that, I'd be pretty mad, also." I gave her a small smile and pulled her into a hug, trying not to squish her broken arm.

But of course, all good moments are ruined somehow.

"Well, this is…_different_, Richard. Whoever knew you were the huggy type?" Victor asked, grinning. I blushed and quickly pulled my arms away, glaring at the three of my now laughing friends.

"Yeah, seriously, when was the last time _you_ hugged someone? I hug more than you do, and that's pretty sad," Raven commented. She was right. Besides Kori, the last person I probably hugged was…my mother. "Richard, come back to Earth, please." I brought myself back from my thoughts and blinked.

"Sorry. Spaced out," I muttered. "And, since when do _you_ hug, Raven? What've you and Gar been doing when we're not around?"

"…shut up."

* * *

"Four. One, two, thr—go to jail? Aw, crap." 

"Nice, Gar," I commented. The five of us had left the mall (after Garfield and Victor had dragged us to the arcade for an hour) and went to my house. The bad weather was still raging on, and none of us can agree on something to watch on TV, so we decided to play Monopoly.

"I'm hungry," Victor announced.

"Me, too," Gar agreed. "Let's go raid the kitchen!" The two of them got up and ran out of the room.

"I'm gonna go make sure they get 'normal' food," Raven said as she followed after them. Kori and I sat there, staring at the doorway, waiting for their return.

"It's Victor's turn," I muttered, tapping my fingers on the floor impatiently. "We have to wait for them to return." Kori nodded and just sat there, looking around. A loud clap of thunder rang through the room, and both of us jumped into each other's arms. "Uhh…"

"That was…unpleasant," Kori whispered. A flash of lighting could be seen out the window, before suddenly, the power went out.

"Oh crap," I sighed, looking around the pitch black room. I could hear Kori whimper and her grip tighten. I could just barely see her face in the darkness, which was only about an inch away from mine. A loud ringing began to go off, and Kori screamed quietly. "It's just my cell phone," I assured her as I reached into my pocket and pulled it out. "Hello?"

"YOUR STUPID POWER WENT OUT!" Victor screamed from the other end. I held the phone a foot away from my face, the blue glow from the screen lighting up the area a little bit. Garfield and Raven, who were behind Victor, could be seen on the screen, covering their ears.

"I can…see that," I replied, irritated.

"Fix it!" Garfield shouted. "If you don't, all the food in the fridge will go bad!" I rolled my eyes. Did he _ever_ think about anything but food?

"I don't know where the fuse box is. We'll have to wait until Alfred comes home from food shopping so he can fix it."

"Great," Raven groaned. I snapped the phone shut and shoved it in my pocket, turning to Kori. She was still clinging onto me, fear evident on her face.

"He'll be back soon…I hope."

* * *

A loud crashing sound came from below, making me sit up in shock. I looked around, and saw nothing. The power was still out. To my left, Kori was lying on the floor, sleeping. '_We must've dozed off..._' I quickly pulled out my phone and called Victor. 

"What're you guys doing down there? I heard a crash," I asked as I pressed the button for speakerphone. On the screen, I could see Garfield, Victor, and Raven, obviously not in the kitchen anymore.

"Well, we're trying to find our way back up to you guys, and it's hard to find your way through such a big house when it's this dark. Gar just tripped over an ironing board," Raven replied bitterly.

"Alfred's not back yet?" I groaned.

"He's back, but he hasn't gotten to the fuse box ye—scratch that," Victor corrected himself as the lights went back on. Kori yawned and sat up, awakened by the sudden brightness. I said bye to our three friends who happened to be in the laundry room, and then closed the phone. After a minute, they came walking through the door, annoyed expressions on their faces.

"We must've been looking for an hour," Garfield complained as he slumped on the floor, rubbing his head. "And do you know you have really hard floors?" The rest of us laughed lightly at his clumsiness.

"So…what'd you do while we were…exploring?" Victor questioned.

"Nothing," I lied. If I said that we fell asleep, he'd start thinking wrong things. And if he started thinking wrong things, he'd rant on about it for at least an hour. Then I'd get a really big headache, and be very embarrassed because he thinks that.

"Really? Or do you just not want to tell us?" Victor snickered.

"Yeah, really. We just sat here," I replied. Vic just shrugged and rolled his eyes, muttering a "_suuure_" before looking back down at the forgotten game of Monopoly and finally taking his turn.

* * *

Monday came around and none of us had seen Tara the whole day. Gar hadn't seen her at all in the morning, but Mr. Wilson wasn't out today, so she couldn't have gone on vacation or anything of the sort. As eighth period started, I was starting to get worried. "Perhaps she is sick? The weather has been most objectionable recently." 

I looked over at Kori, unsure of whether to believe her. Whenever Tara was sick, she'd tell someone. Normally, she'd call Garfield the night before and nag him to go get all her homework. Then Gar would make Raven do it, knowing he'd screw up. "I don't think so, Kor."

Kori looked at me questionably, her hands on her hips. "Why ever not, Richard?" I sighed and glanced up at the ceiling, before shifting my gaze back towards her.

"Something just…doesn't seem right," I replied. Kori opened her mouth to say something, but Mr. Wilson's whistle blew right in my ear. I almost toppled over, struggling to keep up.

"You're supposed to be running," he ordered. I groaned.

"Shouldn't I be sitting out? Broken nose," I reminded him. He muttered something incoherently and glared at me. I grinned smugly, causing Kori to roll her eyes at me for my obvious ego boost. Mr. Wilson walked away, but not before taking out his grade notebook and writing something down quickly. Kori began to run after him, and I followed after her, confused. "Why are you—"

"Mr. Wilson, do you know where Tara is?" she inquired, answering my own question. Mr. Wilson turned to her, his eyebrows raised.

"She wasn't in class today. Last time I saw her, she went out to get some coffee around 7:30 this morning," he replied. I frowned as Kori and I walked away back towards the bleachers. Tara wasn't one to just skip school for no reason. Something was definitely wrong.

Kori seemed to be worried, too. Her face was in her hands, and her brow furrowed as she wondered. We would've never guessed our questions would be answered by a simple loudspeaker announcement.

"Attention students. Due to recent events, we advise you all not to go outside alone. Earlier this morning, one of your fellow students, died." And before her name was announced, Kori and I already knew who it was. My eyes widened in shock, and Kori buried her head in my shoulder.

Tara Markov was dead.

* * *

Whee. Cliffhanger, yo. I didn't really like the beginning (too much dialog maybe, I dunno) but the ending's ok. And, yes, I do realize I just killed off a main character. It'll be important later on. And it is in no way character bashing. Terra is my second favorite character. So don't be all "OMG U KILLED TERRA BITCHPLZ" And no Terra hating "OMG YAY I LUV U" comments, either. I don't want a Terra war going on. 

I took forever to update. I'm making an "update in this many days thing" now xP

Chapter 12- Happy Birthday to You: April 17th


	12. Happy Birthday To You

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Teen Titans. But I own this bag of Twizzlers (don't own the company, though xD) and they're REALLY addicting.

**Dedication:** Kaleena, for explaining what happens at a funeral to me.

* * *

The room was completely silent as the announcement continued, and nobody moved a muscle. Everyone had stopped dead in their tracks immediately after hearing the word "dead". I had an arm wrapped around Kori as she cried silently on my shoulder. I tried not to look at her, it was saddening. Instead I looked down at my feet as I listened to the principal announce the fate of my friend. 

"Tara Markov, a sophomore, was walking downtown before school, and was shot. According to witnesses, she was just walking innocently out of a Starbucks. Two robbers were being chased by Police, and had guns that they were shooting the police vehicles with. Due to bad aim, Tara was killed."

A few people went back to running, but most just stood there, shocked. Victor walked over slowly, not sure of if he had heard correctly. "…Gar can't be taking this very well," he muttered, and I nodded in agreement. Gar and Tara had always been real close, like brother and sister.

The three of us sat down on the floor, sitting in silence as we waited for the bell to ring. When it did about ten minutes later, Victor got up and muttered "We gotta find Gar." I got up and help a hand out to Kori, who took it, and I pulled her up. The three of us began walking to Garfield's locker. When we got there, Raven was standing there next to him.

"Garfield, calm down. Everyone's time comes eventually. It's fate. We can't always have everything the way we want them to be," Raven said to him, frowning. He was leaning on his locker, his blonde hair blocking his face from view, but you could tell he was crying. Raven walked up to us and sighed. "He won't listen to me."

"I don't blame him. When…my parents died, I wouldn't talk to anyone either," I muttered. Kori looked at me, sadness in her eyes.

"That sounds most saddening," she whispered. I nodded and looked back towards Raven and Gar. She had walked back over next to him.

"Garfield…I'm going to miss her, too. I know what it feels like to lose someone. When my father died, I cried for a long time, even though we never really got along. I know it hurts, but…you just have to except it," Raven told him. Gar turned around to face her, tear stains on his face. He threw his arms around her, and she didn't seem to mind much. Normally, she'd shove him off, but due to the current situation, she hugged him back.

"Don't die, Raven. Not for a long time," he whispered. Raven sighed.

"I won't, Garfield," she replied. And suddenly, for some reason, she leaned in and kissed him. His eyes went wide and a blush began creeping across his face. She quickly pulled away, her face red.

Garfield stared at her for a moment, and then smiled. Raven smiled back, and they just stood there hugging for a while.

"Ahem," Victor coughed. The two looked at him, Kori, and I still standing ten feet away and they blushed. "I know you're having a moment here, but it's already…2:50. Shouldn't we go home? I'd be you rather be somewhere besides a hallway for all your romantic crap, anyway."

The day after Thanksgiving, was the day of Tara's funeral. Kori and I sat in the second row, Mr. Wilson, Garfield, Raven, Victor, and Tara's half-brother Brion in front of us. A couple other kids from her grade were also there, but nobody else from Tara's family. A few people went up and talked about Tara, including Mr. Wilson, Garfield, Brion, and Raven. Afterwards, Kori, who was the best singer there, sung Amazing Grace. I always hated that song. Not because it was a bad song, but it was sung at my parent's funeral. It brings bad memories.

Then, they loaded the casket up into a car, and we all followed. When we got to the grave, we all stood quietly as the casket was lowered, Garfield crying again. Kori started crying too, and I wrapped an arm around her, whispering in her ear to calm her down.

"Kori, stop," I whispered. She looked up at me with her sad eyes, and I wiped the tears away from her face with the back of my hand. She smiled slightly and buried her head into my shoulder, crying even more now. "Kori, don't cry." I began to stroke her back softly. "It's just like Raven said; we can't always have things the way we want."

After the grave was buried, most people had left. Alfred had come by with the limo to pick us up, and Victor, Raven, and Garfield were inside already.

I walked up toward the gravestone and sighed. On it read "Tara Markov: November 20th 1990-November 20th 2006". Kori came up behind me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Are you coming?" she questioned, a sad tone in her voice. I looked at her face, she had stopped crying by now, but the stains were still on her cheeks (and the mascara stains, too)

"Yeah," I replied. I took one last glance at her grave, and dropped the rose in my hand in front of it. "Goodbye, Tara." And as the two of us walked away, a strong wind blew by, making the bitter November weather even colder. Leaves rusted on the ground and flew through the air, but the rose still stayed it's in place where it belonged.

The freezing winds of November were nothing compared to the light December snowfalls. The powdery snow did not stick to the ground very well, so the wind just blew it all over the place. Even though it wasn't heavy snow, it was hard to see because once it would almost reach the ground, it would blow back up.

It was a week after Tara's funeral, December 1st, and we had come to accept what had happened, even though we didn't like it much. Tara had always liked the snow, so walking in it was saddening.

"You are most lucky that this snow it not very deep. Back in Europe, the snow began to fall in October, and lasted until March. It was always very thick and hard to see through. We would get blizzards a lot. It was also about 30 degrees colder than it is here," Kori informed me as we were walking home from school. We passed Ms. Rouge's house, and I took a glance at her thermometer, which read "30 Fahrenheit". I stuffed my gloved hands into the pockets of my black jacket. It wasn't usually this cold around here.

"So, I'm guessing you're used to the cold?" I asked. I looked at her as she walked alongside me in her light pink jacket, which wasn't even zipped up all off the way. Underneath it she was wearing a seafoam t-shirt with a pair of ice blue, ripped jeans and a pale purple skirt over it. She had on a fuzzy, white hat, too, but her hands were bare.

"Yes, I am very resistant to extreme temperatures," she replied, catching a handful of snow in her hand. It seeped through her fingers and fell to the ground soon after. "The snow here is so soft and light. I'm used to it being hard, almost like hail."

"There was hail here once. I think I was nine. Raven, Victor, and I were at the park, and out of nowhere a chunk of hail just hit Raven in the head. It was hilarious. But then more hail started coming down and hit me and Victor in the head, too. So then we all went to my house and had hot chocolate," I laughed. Raven had the funniest look on her face when that had happened.

"That sounds painful," Kori murmured. I nodded.

"It was." I reached up and rubbed the spot on my head where I had been hit. There was still a small bump there. We finally reached Kori's house, and before we could open the door, two boys had ran out bundled up in layers of clothing, shouting "snow!" at the top of their lungs. Kori giggled at them and watched as they threw snowballs at each other, half of which weren't packed good enough.

"Don't track in any snow when you come in later, all right, Ryan?" she told one of the boys. He nodded and threw a snowball at her, but it flopped onto the ground.

"As long as you and your boyfriend there don't start making out up there!" he agreed. She laughed and I just rolled my eyes. '_How many people are going to think that we're together?_' Kori grasped my wrist and pulled me inside, shutting the door behind us.

"Who was that?" I asked as I took of my jacket and hung it on her coat rack.

"My little brother and his friend. They're in fourth grade. They have no clue what they're talking about," she replied. I laughed. '_Obviously…_' The two of us walked over toward her elevator, and she pressed the button to go up. The doors soon opened and we walked in, the annoying elevator music filling our ears. Kori quickly pressed the button marked "5" for the fifth floor. The elevator moved up slowly, and a "ding!" sounded as we reached our destination. The doors opened, and we stepped into the violet room, my feet sinking into the lavender carpet.

I walked over to her large bed, covered in a white blanket with light purple and green stripes, and sat on it. It was…comfy. Kori walked over towards her strange land and turned it on, the green light filling the room, before lying down next to me. I poked her in the side to get her attention, but she swatted her hand at mine and told me she wasn't getting up. I shrugged and pulled the star-shaped pillow out from under her head, and her eyes opened, glaring. "Give me that," she muttered. I grinned like a little kid.

"You've gotta get if from me," I taunted her. She grumbled and sat up, reaching her hand out for the pillow. I pulled it away before she could get it.

"Richard, just give me the pillow," she sighed. I smirked.

"Nope. You've got to work for it," I protested.

"Please," she pleaded. I shook my head. "Fine, then." She lunged at me, us both toppling onto the floor, with her on top, the pillow in her hand. We both laughed at how childish we were being.

"Uhh…what's going on in here?" a voice came from the other side of the room. We both looked toward the elevator doors, where Kimi was standing. The two of us blushed, and Kori quickly got up, holding the pillow.

"Nothing," she replied quickly. Kimi laughed at us.

"Eh, I don't care. I just need to know what you want for dinner. Mom said to cook some chicken, but I don't feel like making anything. She's not home, anyway. Ryan said he wants Chinese. You ok with that?" she asked.

"That sounds wondrous. Chinese food is most delicious!" Kori exclaimed. Kimi smiled.

"Good. Now I don't have to cook," she laughed. "Oh, and Ryan's friend is staying for dinner. You want to, Richard?"

"Sure. Alfred won't mind. He won't have to cook then, either," I replied. Kimi turned around, and went back into the elevator, muttering a quick "ok", before disappearing behind the doors. "How old is your sister?"

"Kimi's 19. She normally stays at her dorm in the college, except on weekends, but my parents went on a trip, and don't want me and Ryan to be home alone," Kori answered. I raised my eyebrow at her.

"But you're 16. Don't they trust you?" I asked. Kori looked away and sighed.

"It is not me they do not trust…it is you," she said, not making eye contact.

"What?"

"My parents, they are not exactly the friendliest people. They don't really like me being with other people. They're kind of…overprotective. Especially if I'm with you, because well…you're…a guy. And they don't want me to…" She trailed off, looking down at her feet.

"You don't have to finish. I know what you're saying," I muttered. I got up off of the floor, and sat next to her. We sat there silently, not really wanting to talk about any of what she had just told me. After a few minutes, Kimi came back in again.

"Food's here," she announced. Kori and I got up and followed her into the elevator. When we got out, she led us down a hall, through a large living room, and into the kitchen. Ryan and his friend were already there, stuffing their faces with food.

"Ew! The lovebirds are here!" Ryan exclaimed, gagging. I rolled my eyes and Kori kicked his chair as the two of us walked over to the other side of the table and sat in the chairs. "Somebody's PMSing…" I heard him mutter, and his friend started cracking up. Kori groaned and reached over to grab some Lo Mein, dumping it on her plate. I began piling a bunch of rice, chicken, shrimp, and vegetables on my plate, which were soon devoured.

After we finished eating, we got out of there as soon as possible. The two of us had gone down to the beach, even though it was freezing. "I don't want to do home for a little while," Kori groaned. She rolled over to face me (we were laying on the ground) and sighed. "We don't…act like _that_, do we?"

"We kinda do a little bit," I admitted, blushing. Kori started blushing, too. "And those times we kissed don't help stop suspicions…"

"But nobody even knows of that except for Garfield, Victor, and Raven," she said.

"You expect them to keep their mouths shut? And, we're almost always together. And we've held hands, and we hug a lot and—" Kori put a finger to my lips, cutting me off.

"I get your point," she murmured. The snow was falling much heavier than it was before, but there was no more wind, so the snow was sticking to the ground. Flakes were all in Kori's hair, making it look sparkly. A small flake landed on Kori's nose, and she let out a small "eep!" I smiled and let out a small laugh, resulting in her throwing a snowball at me.

"Hey!" I exclaimed, brushing the snow out of my dark hair. Kori giggled and got another snowball, throwing it right at my face. I wiped it off and tackled her, the two of us rolling down the sand dunes and into the freezing pacific.

"O-ok, I'm c-c-cold n-now," Kori complained through chattering teeth. We quickly scrambled to the shore, huddling together for warmth. We both blushed at our actions and Kori laughed. "I guess we _do_ act like that…" she whispered. But I heard her anyway. And she was right.

* * *

2,508 (or 2,511, I don't know. Word and FanFiction are saying different things) words here. That's pretty long for me. And I got a lot done here. Gar and Rae are together. Tara's been voted off xD (You could say that) Ryan's been introduced. We find out Kori's parents hate Richard (pfft, he's too sexy for them) And mindless fluff! Yay xD; 

Oh, and a question for all you "medical geniuses" : How long does it take for a broken arm and a broken nose to heal?

Update Status: Chapter 13- Untitled as of now: April 24th


	13. Nightmares and Dreams

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Teen Titans. And if I did I wouldn't change it, because it's awesome enough already. I'd probably screw it up, anyway.

**Note:** The beginning's kinda strange. Keep reading. It'll make sense.

**Review Reply:** Winter's Ebony- You didn't leave a way to reply, so... Well, i can go right out and say it that she does love him (kinda obvious, RobxStar story afterall) and...Richard will get a hint. Later on. After he screws up something. Very badly.

**Dedication: **samuraigurl1213, 'cause they were the first to answer my injuries question.

* * *

_A tall figure walked down the street, her boots making squishing sounds in the half-melted snow. An icy wind blew her long, ruby locks in all directions, and she grunted as she tried to keep them out of her face. Unable to see where she was going, she stopped and leaned on a wall. She brought her hands up to her face, brushing her hair to the sides, revealing her tanned face and bright green eyes, which were narrowed due to the obvious annoyance of her hair. She quickly turned around to continue her walk, but stopped dead in her tracks as a man walked up to her._

_"Hey," he greeted her, wrapping his arms around her. Her eyes widened and beads of sweat ran down her forehead._

_"H-hello," she replied timidly. The man quickly grasped her arm and pulled her into an alley. "What do you want?" The man smirked and slammed her against a wall._

_"Take a wild guess," he answered, leaning in and kissing her. She struggled to get away, but his grip on her was too strong. He pulled away, grinning._

_"You are a terrible person!" she spat out. He just smirked at her and replied._

_"I know." He began to try to pry off her pink jacket, but she kicked him where you do not want to be kicked. "Ow! Bitch!" The girl began to run away, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back into the alley. "Feisty one, aren't ya?" The girl growled and elbowed him in the stomach._

_"Leave me alone!" she yelled. She once again attempted to run away, but he grabbed her leg and she fell to the ground, into the snow. He leaned over her and tore off her jacket, leaving her in just a short-sleeved white top. He reached over to take that off, too, and she sighed, too tired to fight back anymore. His dirty hands began to undo the buttons and—_

"Kori!" I screamed, sitting up straight. I scanned my surroundings, and realized I was in my room. I looked out the single window, and saw the streetlight in front of my house. "It was…just a dream." I sighed, and climbed out of the bed, which the blankets had been knocked off of hours before. I saw my cell phone sitting on a table, and grabbed it, dialing a number in quickly.

"Hello?" the tired voice on the other voice questioned after a few rings.

"Kori! Can you come over—now?" I asked.

"Richard? It's 3AM. Go back to sleep," Kori answered.

"I can't. Just, get over here. It's important," I pleaded. I heard a sigh come from the other line.

"Fine." A click came from the other end, signaling that she had hung up. I ran downstairs and waited by the door. After two minutes, a knock came from the other side, and I pulled it open. Standing outside in the freezing snow, was a shivering Kori, in a white tank-top and very short orange shorts.

"I'm f-freezing," she stuttered. I pulled the door open wider, and she stepped inside. "What did you want?" I closed the door and grabbed her wrist, leading her up the stairs. She reluctantly followed, her feet dragging on the floor. We entered my room and I laid down on the bed. She sat down next to me and looked over, waiting for me to tell her why she was here.

"I had a bad dream," I informed her. She raised an eyebrow at me, and I continued. "You were in it. You were walking down the street, and it was really windy, so you couldn't see. This guy just came out of nowhere and dragged you into an alley and…" I couldn't finish. Kori stared at me with wide eyes.

"Oh…" was all she could manage to say. "Were…were you in the dream at all?" I shook my head, and Kori looked away. "You have some…interesting dreams." I sighed and looked down.

"Don't ever walk around alone," I told her. She glanced at me, her expression quizzical. "I don't want any thing to happen to you." She frowned and leaned over, wrapping her arms around my neck.

"As long as you don't wake me up at 3 in the morning again to comfort you when you have bad dreams. Wait until I get up myself," she agreed. I smiled and wrapped my own arms around her waist. She blushed and leaned her head on my shoulder, a smile forming on her own face as well.

"Hopefully I won't have any more bad dreams…" I could feel myself starting to drift off to sleep, and Kori shook my shoulder.

"Richard, do not fall asleep on me, I need to leave." She poked me in the arm a few times, but I was so tired I could barely feel it. She groaned and attempted to get up, but I was weighing her down. She sighed in defeat and laid down on the bed. "If I get in trouble, it's your fault…"

* * *

My eyes opened slowly, and I looked around. '_Morning,'_ I thought as I saw the light shining through the window. I looked next to myself and saw Kori laying there, her head leaning on my chest. I blushed as I realized my arms were still around her, and even more when I finally took in all that had happened. "Kori?" I pulled her away from me, and her eyes fluttered open. 

"Richard? Why am I—oh, right," she muttered, blushing. "What time is it?" I shrugged and she looked around for a clock. In the distance she could see "12:07PM" in bright, red letters. "I'm dead." Her face went deathly pale, more than Raven's.

"Why?" I questioned. She reached out her arm and pointed across the room towards the clock. I looked at it and my eyes widened. "Oh shit."

"What should I do? My sister must have by now noticed that I am missing, and will surely tell my parents once they get back!" Kori exclaimed, worried. She flopped down onto her stomach, her face buried inside my pillow.

"Don't be so sure of that…" I grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the room and down the stairs. We ran out my front door and up to her house. She reached over and pulled it open, running inside. When we were about to reach the elevator, Ryan walked out.

"Ryan?" Kori gasped. "Is sister here?"

"No. She went to the store. And no, she doesn't know you haven't been here since 3AM," he replied. Kori turned pale again.

"How do you—Do not tell her, please!" she yelled. Ryan grinned evilly.

"What's in it for me?" Kori groaned.

"What do you want?" Ryan began pacing back in forth in front of us, rubbing his chin like he was thinking. I whacked myself in the head with my palm. Stupid kid.

"I want him," Ryan pointed at me, "to kiss you." I could feel my face become red, and looked to Kori and saw hers was red also. "So I can take a picture of it." Ryan pulled a small digital camera out of his pocket. "And if I ever need to get back at you for something, I'll just show the picture to mom and dad, and you know they wouldn't like that." Kori looked at me pleadingly, and I sighed.

"Fine, I'll kiss her," I gave in. I turned to look at Kori, who came over closer to me. I nervously leaned in towards her, and then I realized something—I had _never_ kissed anyone before. I had been kissed (twice, actually), but…never the other way around. I just hoped I wasn't a bad kisser…

I locked my lips with her and smiled but was a little confused. If I tried to enjoy myself, and she didn't like me that way, then…she'd probably be disgusted. If I just stood there, and she did like me…she'd be disappointed. The first seemed more likely, so I kissed her, but not with much feeling at all. I head the camera shutters swish and I knew it was time to end the kiss. I pulled away, and noticed the small, shy smile on Kori's face. Ryan grinned evilly and stuffed his camera in his pocket.

"Remember, don't do anything that might…disappoint me," he warned, going back into the elevator. The doors closed behind him and we were alone.

"I guess this is one of those…awkward silent moments…" Kori muttered. I looked down toward my feet, away from her gaze. They were bare. Why hadn't I noticed that before? I looked at the rest of my clothes and realized I was in my boxers and a t-shirt. Smart. I looked over toward Kori and saw her still in her pajamas.

"Um, Kor," I said softly. Kori turned to me and nodded for me to continue. "Don't you think we should change…?" She looked down at herself and blushed.

"That would…make sense."

* * *

"You slept together?" 

"No! Well…sorta. But it wasn't like that!" I exclaimed. It was Sunday, December 3rd, the next day. I had gone to Raven's house, and Garfield was also there, laughing at me hysterically.

"I don't know why you're having these dreams, but personally, I don't think I want to. Maybe you're just a pervert…" Raven muttered. I glared angrily at her.

"I woke up before anything…_happened_," I replied. Raven rolled her eyes and Garfield snickered at me some more. "And you call _me_ a pervert? Garfield was over here before I was. Who knows what you two did last night and didn't tell me about." Gar shut up.

"RICHARD!" Raven smacked be upside the head. "You're such a sick-minded dick!"

"Isn't that seriously his name?" Gar questioned. I groaned and flopped down onto Raven's bed, a black pillow flying up and landing on my head. '_Smells like cheap hair dye you buy at the store…'_

"It might be, but don't call me it. It's just Richard," I snapped. Gar laughed and Raven grinned.

"Oh, that's not what I heard Kori calling you the other day. 'Richie', was it?" Raven asked smartly. I frowned and looked away.

"That's different," I muttered, shuffling my feet around. I actually had shoes on this time.

"Oh, why, because you loooove her?" Garfield snickered.

"No! …Maybe. Yes, ok! Will you guys stop bugging me about it? I never mocked you when you told me about your crushes on each other! That was Victor! Mock him and his 3,000 girlfriends!" I exploded. They were _really_ pissing me off. Raven frowned and put her hand on my shoulder.

"Sorry. And Garfield's sorry too, right?" She turned to him, glaring. He nodded quickly.

"Wait—Vic mocked me? I feel so…hurt!" He exclaimed. He brought the back of his hand up to his forehand and fell over to look like he fainted. I rolled my eyes and Raven giggled a bit. She muttered something about how she was such a "lucky" girl in a sarcastic tone.

"Soooo…are we all going to exchange presents on Christmas?" Raven asked, changing the subject.

"Can't," I replied. "I have to go to that stupid party that Bruce drags me to every year again. It's really boring. Just a bunch of old dudes talking about business and getting drunk." I shook my head. That's all those guys ever do.

"I can't either," Gar answered. "My parents are coming to see me again. I don't want to ditch them at the one time of year I see them." Garfield's parents travel a lot. They can't take him with them, because they only stay in the same place for a few days. Due to that, he lives with his Aunt and her boyfriend, Steve.

"We could always—" I was interrupted by the sound of Raven's door opening, and footsteps running in.

"Friend Raven, yesterday Rich—hello Richard, Garfield," Kori greeted us, blushing madly. She scratched the back of her neck nervously and looked down. In her hair was a white headband, and she had on a gray t-shirt, a white belt, and dark jeans. Over it was the same pink jacket she had worn the other day.

"Yeah, Richard already told us about your…time together," Raven snickered. "And what an interesting story it was." Raven leaned back onto her dresser, grinning. She folded her arms across her chest and grinned. I shook my head and Kori slowly walked over and sat on Raven's bed next to me.

"Oh, yeah. Very interesting," I muttered. Garfield began to spin around in the chain he was on, his feet just above the ground. Raven put her palm to her forehead and sighed.

"This is mad fun!" Gar cheered. He began to spin faster, until finally, he fell over. With a thump he toppled to the floor, the chair landing on top of him. "Ow…" Kori, Raven, and I began cracking up. Gar snorted at us and glared at his girlfriend, who was now on the floor. Kori was leaning against me, and I was struggling to keep myself up. Gar then kicked Raven in the side and we all shut up. Raven was going to be angry.

"What was _that_ for?" she fumed. Gar shrugged and Raven began shouting curses at him, the two of them ending up arguing.

"Don't they go together so well?" I questioned. Kori snickered at my comment and we continued to watch the couple's distress.

* * *

This is out a day early. Celebrate. Yeah, I really want to get December and January over with, because February holds what we've all been waiting for -spoiler- Yup. And I obviously wanna write about that. Next chapter'll be Christmas, though, because I don't need another filler in here for December. Soyeah. Yay holidays. 

Update Status: Chapter 14- Merry Christmas, April 30th


	14. Merry Christmas

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Teen Titans. Or Christmas. If I did, I'd have way too much money.

**Dedication:** Your mom.

* * *

Ever since I was nine-years-old, I've hated Christmas. Not because I don't get anything good, because I do get good things. Last year I got a car. It's because I spend most of the day at a party with old guys. Not very exciting. Alfred is really lucky. Bruce doesn't drag him there. 

Normally, I just sit there and try not to fall asleep. Sometimes Bruce's friends will come and tell me about how life was like when they were my age and how they became so successful. I just ignore them.

As we walked into the large building where the party is always help, we stopped to look at where we were sitting. I found my name under the list for table six, but I didn't expect the other names I read on it. "Mr. Wayne, Mr. Grayson, Mr. Anders, Mrs. Anders, Miss Anders," were listed. Kori never said anything about coming here. I walked inside the huge room and spotted Kori sitting on the other side. I quickly ran over and sat down.

"Well, this is unexpected," I mused. Kori smiled and nodded.

"Indeed it is. I did not know you would be here, either," she replied.

"Where are your parents? The cards said they were supposed to be sitting here?" I asked. "I just know they want to meet me." Kori laughed. We both knew if her parents knew who I was, they would not like me at all.

"They are talking to people. Where is Bruce?" Kori wondered. I just shrugged.

"Don't know. Lost him near the entrance somewhere. He's probably talking to some dude." Kori twirled a strand of her red hair and looked around the room.

"What do you normally do around here? It does not seem very exciting…" I smiled.

"Sleep." Kori giggled and moved into the seat next to mine. I got a good look at her when she stood up. She had on a short green skirt and a white buttoned shirt with sleeves that covered most of her arms. Around her wrists were a few bracelets, and around her neck was a silver chain with a red stone attached to it.

"You're very silly; you do know that, right?" Kori sighed, amused. She leaned her head on my shoulder and clung to my arm, pretending to snore. I laughed and shook her off. She obeyed and groaned, leaning back in her chair. "What do you wish to do for the next 5 hours?"

"Well, maybe we could—" I frowned as the host of the party cut me off with his welcoming speech. It was always the same. '_Welcome, enjoy the food and the music, and funding was given to us by some rich person so give them a hand,_' I thought to myself. The only good thing about these parties was the food.

"Uhh…wanna get something to eat?" I asked. Kori turned her attention to me and nodded, standing up and pushing her chair in.

"Where is the food located?" she questioned. "I have never been here before and I—"

"I'll show you." I took her hand and led her through crowds of people and tables. When we reached the table with the food, there was a line. A long one. "We might be here a while…"

"At least it smells most delightful," Kori smiled as she attempted to lighten the situation. I smiled back and the line began to slowly move forward. Kori took one step and suddenly slipped on s pill on the ground. I threw out my arms and caught her.

"Kori—are you ok?" I asked. I looked down at her. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was slightly open. She seemed to be staring at something. She looked really out of it. "Kor?"

"H-huh? Oh, umm, sorry I…I was just trying to think straight." She turned her head away, blushing. "When did you get to un-bandage your nose?"

"Oh, I got it off this morning. Do I look normal now?" I laughed. I looked like such a dork with my broken nose. Kori blushed even more and nodded quickly.

"You look very…handsome…" I blushed. We both turned away and there was a moment of awkward silence. "If only my arm were back to normal." Kori frowned and looked down at her left arm in the sling. "It is very hard to write with my right hand."

"I always forget you're left handed," I muttered as I put some food on my plate. The line had moved up more, and mostly every else was already eating. After we filled our plates, we walked back to our table. Bruce and Kori's parents were now sitting there, engaged in conversation. Kori and I sat down, trying not to be noticed.

"Kori, where have you been?" Kori's father snapped at her.

"I-I was just getting food," Kori stuttered. He obviously wasn't very nice to her. She seemed scared of him.

"And who is that?" Mr. Anders asked as he pointed at me. "What were you doing with him?"

"H-he's Mr. Wayne's son. We were just getting our dinner and I talked to him a little," Kori replied.

"Oh, the orphan boy," Mr. Anders muttered as he turned back to talk to Bruce. I gritted my teeth and Kori placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Do not listen to him," she whispered. I sighed and looked down at my plate. That pretty much ruined my appetite.

* * *

Soft dance music filled the room, and many couples twirled around the floor. Kori's parents and Bruce had left to talk to people, leaving Kori and I alone again. "Uhh…what did you get for Christmas?" I asked trying to start a conversation. 

"My parents got me clothes and Kimi gave me a cell phone. I have it with me," Kori replied. She pulled out the small white flip phone and handed it to me. I took it and looked for her contacts list, sticking myself in there. I looked for her number and put it on my own phone. "I had to pretend when my parents got me was from 'Santa', though."

"Ryan still believes?" I asked, laughing a bit.

"No, but my parents don't know that," Kori giggled and snapped a picture of me with her phone. "I need to remember what you look like with that forehead bandage." I looked up and brushed my hair back in front of the bandage.

"You just wish your arm looked as good as my head," I laughed. Kori rolled her eyes and whacked my shoulder. I rubbed it with my hand and glared at her, while she just hummed happily to herself and turned away. I followed her gaze and noticed she was watching all the dancing couples in the center of the room. She emitted a quiet sigh and looked down.

I gulped and placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to face me, hiding her frown. I brought up my courage and spoke. "Kori…would you like to d-dance?" Kori's eyes lit up and she squealed with joy.

"I would _love_ to!" I blushed. Kori had used the word love while talking to me. She grasped my hand and pulled me out to the dance floor, avoiding the older couples. Kori placed her right hand on my shoulder, her other staying in front of her due to the sling. I wrapped both my arms around her waist, and the two of us began to move around the room.

I swear some of the old people were looking at us. It was probably odd for them to see two sixteen-year-olds dancing around with all the elderly. One of which normally stays at his table the whole night, and the other who has never been here.

"Aw, look, isn't that sweet?" I overheard an old lady talking. She looked around 70, with gray, short-cut, curly hair. Her face was extremely wrinkly, and she was about an inch or two shorter than me. Next to her was a younger woman, around 50, with dry, blonde hair and way too much make-up.

"I bet ya they brake up in a week. Teens are always like that," the second woman commented. I laughed to myself at the fact that she said we would brake up. Technically, we weren't ever together.

"I don't think so Denise, they look like they love each other a lot," the older one replied. I started to choke and Kori looked at me confused.

"Are you ok, Richard?" she asked, her eyes filled with concern.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," I answered, looking down at the ground, hiding my red face. We moved away from the two women and over towards a small window. Snowflakes covered most of the glass, shadowing most of the outside world. Through a small, clear spot in the window, a bit of moonlight shone through, making Kori's hair look shinier than usual. "So, um…are you enjoying yourself…?"

"Yes, very much," Kori mumbled and she buried her head into my shoulder. I blushed and held her tighter, and she groaned at me. "_Richie_, you're squishing my arm…" I blushed even more, if that was possible, and loosened my grip a bit. "Thanks…Uhh, are you enjoying yourself?"

"Yeah, I am." I smiled at Kori and she lifted her head up a little bit and smiled back. "This is probably the best Christmas I've had in a really long time."

"Me too." Kori placed her head back on my shoulder and continued. "Normally on Christmas, I do not get to dance with someone I care about so much." We both turned scarlet as she mentioned this.

"I care about you a lot, too." I grinned at her and she smiled back. "More than anyone else I know." I quietly muttered that last part so she wouldn't hear it. I looked up towards the ceiling and stopped dead in my tracks.

"Richard, why have you stopped?" Kori questioned my actions. I nodded upwards and she looked, blushing instantly. Above us was a small green and white plant. Mistletoe. I could feel my face heating up and a bead of sweat ran down my face as I looked at her. She bit her bottom lip and looked down. "I guess we should…" She trailed off, looking back up.

"Uhh…yeah," I muttered, leaning in closer. I closed my eyes just before my lips pressed against hers. I could feel her lightly kissing back, and I smiled. But it was saddening to know she was only doing this because of the mistletoe. After a moment, I put my hands on her shoulders and pulled away.

Kori's hand was on my cheek, and there was a shocked look in her eyes. "Well, that was…unexpected," she whispered, blushing. "I never thought you would kiss me with so many people around. It seems very unlike you." I turned bright red as I realized she was right. There were a lot of people in here. Thankfully, they were old, so nobody we know would find out.

"Yeah…I never thought I would, either…" I trailed off. I hoped I hadn't given myself away. If Kori knew I loved her…it'd be very, very bad. And if she didn't love me back…I'd rather not think about that. It would take me a long time over being rejected by her. If I ever found out she loved someone else, that'd probably be the worst thing to know, ever. But if she did actually love me, which is very unlikely, I'd be the happiest guy alive.

"Richard? Richard, are you ok?" I blinked and looked up at Kori, who was giving me a concerned frown. I nodded my head at her and she took her hand off my cheek and put in on my shoulder. "I must be leaving now. My parents are waiting in the car." I looked up at the clock on the other side of the room. 12:16AM.

"Oh, ok…bye, Kor," I replied. Kori smiled and gave me one more quick kiss before walking away, waving as she left. I smiled and muttered to myself as she stepped out of view. "Merry Christmas Kori." I placed my fingers up to my lips and grinned.

"And thanks for the present."

* * *

Yay, I got this up in time xD I didn't start it until last night, and I procrastinated it all day today. But I started coloring the cutest RobxStar picture so all is good :D And Richard's "present" should be quite obvious. And I had them kiss twice in one chapter. Yay for kissies. But they're still way too oblivious for they're own good. Dang, I hope I get to the scene where they -insert spoilers here- soon. 

Updates: Chapter 15- Garnet, May 7th (Garnet is the January birthstone. The chapter takes place in January)


	15. Garnet

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Teen Titans. Or the people on the birthday announcements. Alyssa McPherson and James Crowley belong to Jupe-san (she made them up for me xD) Samishii Kotarou is my aweshum friend Sami. And Iceliena Kataran is myself. And I also don't own Cassie, Barbara, and Donna. You're awesome if you knwo who they are.

**Dedication:** An anonymous reviewer, signed "robinandstarfire", who was my 150th reviewer.

* * *

January rolled in and so did more snow. Large piles of the fluffy white crystals were along the curbs and on lawns, some almost as tall as me. Winter vacation had been over for about three weeks now, and teachers had been giving us massive homework. Even on Fridays they sent us home with at least one textbook. 

Kori twirled around in front of me, flurries falling into her hair. I trudged my feet in the snow behind her. I blew a dampened strand of hair out of my face and scowled. How could she be so happy? I was walking through knee-deep snow with ten pounds of books on my back and she was twirling around happily. It'd been going on for about a week now.

"What is wrong with you?" I finally asked. Kori just turned around and looked at me, cocking her head to the side. I sighed. "Why are you so cheerful? We're going to school!"

"You shall see," Kori teased, skipping off. I shook my head and sulked after her, wondering what was so 'fabulous'.

We walked into our homeroom and Kori began chatting excitedly to Garfield. I slumped into my seat and watched them, catching up a few words of their conversation. I heard my own name in there a few times.

The announcements began and Ms. Rouge made everyone get in there seats and be quiet. The kid doing the announcements dragged on about the school ski trip coming up. I always went there and sat in the ski lodge half the time, placing bets on Gar and Vic's hot chocolate eating contests.

The announcements continued, until reaching the birthdays. Kori clung to my sleeve and I looked at her oddly. She just gave me a huge grin and didn't let go. "January 20th, Alyssa McPherson, junior," the announcer said. "January 21st, Iceliena Kataran, freshman. Samishii Katarou, freshman. Kori Anders, junior. January 22nd, James Crowley, senior."

I looked at Kori confused. "Tomorrow's your birthday?" I asked, embarrassed I didn't know already. "How come you never told me?" Kori frowned and looked down.

"I did," she replied, in the saddest tone of voice I had ever heard. "Perhaps…you just need some reminding? You may have forgotten…I told you yesterday, while we were…" She trailed off and turned her head away, hiding her face. I heard a sniffle come from her.

"Kori, I—" The bell rang and Kori got up and walked away before I could finish. I sighed and walked away slowly towards English. I was the biggest ass in the whole world.

* * *

"Kitten!" I whispered to the annoying blonde girl beside me. She turned to look at me and I sighed. "I need your…help." 

"With what?" Kitten asked, raising an eyebrow at me. I tore a sheet of paper out of my notebook, folded it up, and handed it to her.

"Give that the Kori," I told her. She snorted and turned around, reluctantly throwing the message onto Kori's desk.

I just then realized the irony of this situation. I was using Kitten to try to _fix_ my relationship with Kori. Usually she would be the one screwing it up.

Of course, I was the one screwing everything up this time. English class was almost over, and Kori hadn't spoken to me since homeroom. She didn't even glance at me. I don't even think she's looked at anyone at all through the entire period. She hasn't looked up from her textbook, and her hair is covering most of her face, blocking her view.

The note is still sitting on top of the desk where Kitten had thrown it. I remember exactly what I wrote on it. It's not that hard too. I didn't write much. Just "sorry" and a little frown and a heart. Hopefully, that heart doesn't give away anything. I doubt it will. If she hasn't figured out how I feel by my other actions, then that definitely won't give her a clue.

I looked up at the clock on the wall. 9:04 AM. Only one more minute until the class is over. My gaze returned to Kori, who was still looking down. The bell rang and she got up, picking her books up. She stopped and looked down at the paper, lifting it up with her small fingers. She unfolded it and I walked up to her, looking down towards the ground. "Kori, I really am…" I stopped as I heard her footsteps walking away.

"Well, if you're gonna be like that, what do I care!" I shouted. Kori looked back at me, and I could see the hurt in her eyes. She stood at the doorway and didn't move. Her recently healed left arm was holding her books up to her chest. I mentally slapped myself. '_What am I talking about, I do care!'_

"Kori—wait. I…I didn't mean it." I walked up to her and place a hand on her shoulder, which she shook off.

"Richard…I lo—like you, but…sometimes I wonder if we should stay friends," Kori whispered sadly. My eyes widened in shock and I grabbed her right hand as she began to turn around.

"Kori…no…" I breathed out. Kori frowned and looked down towards her feet.

"Richard, sometimes, you just…do things that…I don't think are very good things for a friend to do," she sighed. I bit my bottom lip and turned my face away.

"Kori, people, they make mistakes sometimes. I…I make a lot of them." Kids began filling the room, some staring at us. I took a deep breath and continued. I _had _to tell her now. It was the only way. Although, it would be difficult in front of all these people. "Kori, I…I lo—"

The bell for second period rang, cutting me off. I swore at it in my head, wanting to kill those four minutes between periods for going so fast, yet seeming so long for me. "Richard, I have to go. I'm late for class," Kori muttered, struggling out of my grip on my hand, and away. I could hear people whispering behind me as I walked out and closed the door behind me. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes and I slumped down against the wall.

"I'm sorry."

* * *

I looked across the room at the ruby-haired girl I have fallen badly for. She's sitting with a group of girls: Cassie, Donna, and Barbara. Normally, she'd sit with Garfield and I, but…after the events earlier, I doubt I'll ever talk to her again. 

I stared at her the whole period, ignoring Garfield's questions. I sighed sadly and looked down at my art project. Ms. Rouge told us to paint something with watercolors. Garfield was painting a very bad dog. I had done a very dark looking picture. I guess your mood really does affect art.

"Grayson, wow. I never knew you were so…artistic," Ms. Rouge commented, looking shocked. "I never thought I'd give you an 'A' on something. Why'd you work so hard on it? You hate my class."

"It…it's for somebody. Somebody special," I muttered, an idea forming in my head. Garfield stared at me confused and Ms. Rouge walked away to grade the other students.

I turned to look back at Kori's table. The girls were all giggling happily, except for her. A frustrated frown was on her face as she attempted to paint. Balls of crumpled papers were already on the floor behind her. Kori had always been good at art. I guess, your mood can also affect art in bad ways.

The next day I got up, and quickly ran outside. I got into my car and drove to Raven's apartment as fast as I could without getting pulled over. I had made Raven ask Kori to sleep over the night before, making it much easier to locate her the next morning. I reached the apartment building and rushed inside, leaping up five flights of stairs. I reached her door and knocked, waiting for Raven to open it.

Raven's pale face appeared between a small opening in the doorway. "Come in," she muttered, opening the door wider so I could get through. Kori was on the other side of the room, braiding her hair. I hesitantly walked over towards her, the picture by my side.

"Hello Richard," she greeted me, emotionlessly. I frowned and sat down on the floor next to her.

"Hi. Happy birthday," I replied. She narrowed her eyes at me.

"So, you remember? I did not think you would," Kori snapped. She finished her braid and began to do the same with the rest of her hair.

"I…I brought you a present," I said hesitantly. Kori raised an eyebrow at me and I held out the rolled up picture. She took it from my hand and unrolled it, her eyes going wide. "I made it." She stared at me, shocked. "I though that…something that you can't buy would be…a lot better."

"Richard…you can't buy friendship either, you know that, right?" I frowned. If this didn't work… "But, if you work hard on it, it can become something…wonderful. Just like a picture." She smiled at me, the first time I'd seen her smile since yesterday morning. I suddenly found myself in her arms, smiling too.

"I'm sorry Kori," I whispered. "I really do care about you…a lot," I whispered. Kori buried her head into my shoulder and sighed.

"I know." Her reply was muffled by my jacket, but I could still hear it, since she was so close.

"More than you know, even…" I whispered and wrapped my arms around her. Raven walked over to us, and I could see a small smile on her face.

"I see you two are getting along again," she commented. "Maybe…you want to be alone?" I blushed at the thought of being alone with Kori, and the fact that Raven thought we might actually start some sort of relationship. But, for some reason, I doubted that possibility less and less every day. Ever since I met her, Kori and I had been close, but more recently, she had been acting like she wanted to be more than just friends. Not that I minded.

"Yeah, Raven. I…I need to tell her something. It won't take long," I answered. Raven's smile grew, knowing what I was talking about, and turned away.

"Good luck." She turned and walked into the closest doorway, and I laughed to myself knowing she was in the bathroom.

"Richard, what do you wish to tell me?" Kori asked sweetly. I smiled and pulled out of our embrace, but held her hands in my own.

"Kor…for a while now, we've been getting…closer," I began. Kori nodded in agreement to my comment.

"Indeed. I thought only I had noticed it." I smiled and moved my face just slightly closer to hers.

"And…I've been thinking for a while. I've finally made a decision," I continued.

"What would that happen to be?" Her face moved even closer to mine. If she got any closer we'd be…

"Well, I…I've decided to tell you something. It's a secret. But I think it's something you really should know." I was ready. I was finally going to tell her.

But nature, obviously wasn't ready.

"Kori, I lov—" A loud explosion shattered the peace and Kori and I tore away from each other, getting to our feet. I could smell smoke in the air and Raven burst out of the bathroom.

"There's a fire below us. We have to get out of here!" She ordered. Kori and I nodded and we looked at each other.

"…come on," I sighed reluctantly. '_So close…'_ We held hands and ran out of the room, following Raven. When we opened the door to the hallway, we ran towards the staircase and stopped dead in our tracks. Fire was everywhere, and was beginning to crawl its way up toward us. Smoke was filling the area, and Kori coughed beside me, causing my grip onto her hand to tighten. She bit her lip and turned to me, looking scared.

"Everything's gonna be ok, Kor."

* * *

I was afraid this wouldn't be up in time. I was watching Pita-Ten since Friday and then today I had to watch my three little cousins (tortuuure) so I had to write most of it tonight in like two hours. Ugh. 

Richard didn't catch Kori's little mess up in her "maybe we shouldn't be friends" speach. Stupid him xD And I promise you all they'll be together before Valentine's Day -major spoiler- (it's January 21st now)

Next Update: Chapter 16- A Heated Encounter, May 14th


	16. A Heated Encounter

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Teen Titans.

**Dedication:** Hmm...my mom C: Happy Mother's Day!

* * *

I stood there, the glow of the flames making me squint. Kori's hand was squeezing Kori's tightly, and she was looking at me fearfully. I turned and looked towards Raven, who was staring wide-eyed at the fire. "R-raven? Is there another staircase?" I questioned. Raven nodded quickly in response. 

"D-down at the other end of the hall," she informed us. I turned around and looked down the hall. Kori began to run in the direction of the staircase, dragging me along with her. Raven followed close behind us.

We reached the staircase door, which was locked. "The stairs are old and we're not supposed to use them," Raven muttered. I scowled.

"It's either this or burn to death!" I growled, kicking at the door. It was old and a hole broke into it easily. Kori stared at me as I reached my hand into the hole, opening the door from the other side. Cobwebs filled the staircase, giving it an eerie look. I tore right through them, much to Kori's disapproval, since I brought her through with me. She shuddered as we made out way down, trying to shake them off.

Raven followed behind up, happily dodging the cobwebs. Sadly, we had already weakened the wood stairs on our way down, so by the time she got to them, they broke easily. A loud crack emerged from above us and I heard a scream emit from Raven's mouth. Kori and I stopped and looked up. A few feet above us, Raven was dangling from the staircase.

"Damn stairs!" she yelled. Her pale hands tightly grasped a rotting plank of wood, but I could see a crack forming in the middle.

"Raven, let go!" I shouted up to her. She looked at me like I was nuts. "I'll catch you!" She muttered something to herself and slid her fingers off the wood. She flew down though the air and I caught her. "You okay?" Raven nodded and got to her feet, running down the rest of the stairs, remembering to hold the hand rail this time.

"Let's go!" I grabbed Kori's hand and we raced off after Raven. I could see the doorway to the rest of the building just a few steps below. Raven had stood there and waited a second for the two of us to reach her. When we arrived, she flung the door open, but soon regretted it. Fire was within a few feet of us, crawling its way even closer. Kori grasped my shirt and pressed herself against me, and I wrapped my arm loosely around her.

"Oh shit…" I muttered quietly. Kori heard me and looked down at me, now even more frightened. "We'll be fine. It'll just be a little hard." Raven rolled her eyes at me.

"You're not helping," she snapped. She looked around and saw an open apartment door, running into it. There was a safe path to an open window in there, but it would soon be gone. Raven ran towards the window, and a piece of burning wood nearly hit her. She gasped as it hit the ground behind her. The support beam of the ceiling. It wasn't safe to follow after her.

"We're gonna need to find another way out," I whispered. Kori clutched my hand tightly with one of her own, her other hand still grasping her present. "Stop worrying. We'll be all right." Kori frowned and still looked worried. Her eyes followed the flames' trail, watching them get closer. I leaned over and quickly kissed her. "We'll live."

I looked around frantically for a way out. There were two apartments close to us. The one Raven went in, and another in flames. All the others were down the hall. At the end of the hall, I could see the front entrance of the building, engulfed in flames. A few apartments down was another open door. "We'll have to get over there." I ran down the hall, avoiding the sparks and burnt wood falling. I kicked up ashes as I made my way down the hall. I reached the doorway and looked back to see Kori slowly coming towards me. I sighed. She was really scared.

She made her way over and I walked into the apartment. It was deserted, like the others, but mostly untouched by the flames. Only the wall on my left was burning slowly, and we would get out of there before anything else burned.

Or at least I thought. I ran across the room, Kori following, and suddenly a large piece plaster fell down in front of her, causing her to stumble backwards. The ceiling was caving in on us. My eyes went wide and I reached a hand out toward her. "Get over here! We have to leave!" I screamed. She stood up and looked around.

"I dropped my picture!" She quickly turned around and got the painting, but more plaster came down from the ceiling, some hitting her. She wiped the hot cinders off her arms and began to run back towards me.

I tore the window open ripped away the annoying curtains which blew fiercely in the winter winds. Kori was just about to get to me when we heard a cracking noise. I looked up and saw the main support for the ceiling snap in half and begin to fall. "KORI, GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Kori gasped and froze up in horror. I ran over and pushed her back and out of the way, landing on the ground on top of her. She stared up at me, still in shock.

"Ri-ichard…you…saved me," she whispered. I smiled and climbed off of her. She quickly got up to her feet and we looked towards the window.

"Well, looks like we're gonna need to find another way out." I scratched the back of my neck. The beam had landed a few feet in front of the window, and was spreading fire through the whole room. Kori took my hand and turned around, and out of the room. "I don't see any exits…"

"There is one." Kori pointed down the hall way towards the front entrance of the apartment building. The trail was lined with fire. Lots of it.

"Are you nu—agh!" Kori started running, dragging me along. I held on tightly to her hand and tried not to trip. More support beams and debris fell down behind us. When we got to about three feet from the door, we stopped. It was completely engulfed in the flames. "How are we going to open it?"

"Kick it," Kori replied simply. I stared at her as she lifted a foot up and kicked the door hard, making it swing wide open. She shook her foot out a little to get the flames off her slipper and we ran out.

I leaned up against a tree in front of the house and sighed, but had the breath taken out of me instantly and two arms wrapped themselves around me. "We are safe!" Kori exclaimed, smiling. I blushed and lightly shoved her off.

"How'd you guys get out of there?" I turned to see Raven running towards us. A couple other residents of the building stood along the sidewalk behind her.

"Eh, we just kicked a door," I laughed. Kori giggled and leaned her head on my shoulder.

"Friend Raven, will you not need somewhere to stay, now?" she questioned. Raven nodded grimly, but then smirked.

"Hey Richard, how many spare rooms are in that house of yours?"

* * *

I sat there on the couch as a dark storm raged outside, the only sound in the room coming from the television and the light _plunks_ of the rain drops. Commercials played on the TV, and my gaze traveled toward the clock. "1:43 AM". 

"What are you doing up?" I heard Raven ask tiredly. I looked at her standing at the door rubbing her eyes due to the brightness of the television. Her messy purple hair fell into her face, and I could tell she had been sleeping.

"Couldn't sleep," I muttered. I picked up the remote as the next show came on and flicked through the channels. Raven came over and sat on the arm of the couch by my feet.

"Why not?" she questioned, yawning. I sighed and sat up, looking towards the ceiling.

"Just thinking," I replied, brushing the hair out from in front of my eyes.

"About Kori, right?" I nodded. "Why haven't you told her by now?" I groaned and looked away.

"I _tried_ to on her birthday, but the fire screwed everything up." Raven shook her head in disapproval.

"Richard, that was a week ago. You've gotta tell her sometime." I sighed, knowing that she was right. "You know she loves you, right?"

"Yeah, I know. I kind of figured it out by now. She kissed me again yesterday." I blushed at the thought. We were in gym, and we had been playing baseball. Sadly, we were on opposite teams. She had been running to third base, where I was standing, and I purposely missed the ball, much to the dislike of my team members. She got a homerun because of that. They all yelled at me for it, saying that I shouldn't "assist the enemy". The kiss was worth it, though.

"Again?" Raven mused, raising her eyebrows.

"Don't ask," I replied. Raven just yawned in return and got to her feet.

"Ugh, I'm gonna get back to bed. Good night," she muttered as she walked towards the door.

"Night, Raven."

* * *

I walked along the dirty downtown sidewalks, kicking a discarded soda can as I went. I had been at Vic's house with a couple of his friends playing football. My team lost. That's because Vic's team always wins. It's like a rule. 

The streets were dark, darker than usual in the evening. Ominous, gray clouds filled the sky, and I knew it would rain again soon. The weather had warmed up a little, but I knew it wasn't permanent. Snow would be coming down again sometime next week.

A streetlight flickered on beside me, lighting up my surroundings. The light only lasted momentarily, though, as the light went out seconds after. I stopped at a corner and watched the traffic rush past in front of me. How I wished I had taken my car.

I light drizzle began and I sighed, letting the droplets land freely into my messy hair. I didn't bother to put my hood up at all. The rain wasn't very heavy, anyway.

The traffic in front of me stopped as the light changed from green to red, and I slowly crossed the street. I continued to walk on, past boarded up stores and run-down apartments. I could never live here. Garbage lined the streets and the houses. The sound of horns beeping was intolerable. It was a complete mess.

I sighed as the can I was kicking went of the side of the curb and the water dragged it towards a sewer. There went my entertainment. I stuffed my hands into my pockets and turned a corner, only to be greeted by the same sights. A few children played out in the rain with their few toys, probably having nothing better to do. I doubted they had any TVs or radios in there houses. The only music here was that damn traffic.

A sudden scream pierced through the loud noises of rush hour, and I jumped. That scream was familiar. My eyes went wide in realization as I heard it, knowing instantly who had screamed.

"Kori!"

* * *

No, Vic does not live in that ratty downtown setting. Richie just had to walk through there to get back home. And the Richard and Raven moment is just a friendship thing, yo. I personally, to put it lightly, hate that couple. But this is not my place to rant about it. Almost didn't get to finish writing this on time. And, this chapter is not ment to insult anyone poor. Richard's just used to being rich and crap. Happy Mother's Day, Everyone :D

Update Status: Chapter 17- omgliekimportantchapter (undecided name xD), May 21st


	17. Released EMOtions

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Teen Titans.

**Dedication:** The emos of the world xD Oh God shoot me now.

* * *

I ran as fast as my legs would go towards the source of the scream, splashing water up from puddles as I stomped through them. Rain drops pelted down onto my head, plastering my hair to my face. 

"Get the _hell_ off of me!" I heard Kori scream. I was getting closer. I continued running, but was being weighed down by my now soaked pants. "Leave me alone!" Kori's screams were becoming more of sobs now, and as I looked down an alley, I saw her.

She was pushed up against a brick wall, her hair in a wet mess and covering most of her face. I could just barely see her widened eyes through it. The top of her school uniform was unbuttoned, but she thankfully had a black tank top underneath. A grimy hand held onto her bare left arm, while her right arm had a large slice it in.

Her attacker held a knife.

Against her neck.

"Come on pretty, you've gotta have more to give me than that," he whispered. Her purse was on the ground, the contents dumped out—makeup, pens and pencils, her cell phone, and a few dollars. Apparently, that wasn't enough "payment".

"Please, no," Kori whimpered. She was crying, but it was hard to tell in the now pouring rain. He brought his hand to the bottom of her shirt, but she smacked it away with what little energy she had left. Her growled in anger and pressed the knife harder against her neck and she screamed.

"If you're not going to cooperate—"

"Get. Away. From. Her," I interrupted. I had seen enough. This bitch was going to die.

He turned around and I gasped as I saw his familiar face. It was the face of Xavier, an old student at Murakami High. His mother didn't have the money to pay the expensive tuition after his father left, so he went to public school. He must've lived around here, now.

"Richard Grayson," he muttered, grinning. "Last time I saw you, you were hanging with that goth geek Raven Roth. What did you dump her for this whore over here?" Kori snorted. "Can't say I blame you." I growled and narrowed my eyes. I was officially pissed off.

I threw a punch at him without thinking, and he easily dodged it. He smirked. "Ooh, is little _Richie_ angry?" Xavier taunted. I threw another punch at him and he grabbed my arm and twisted it around, throwing me to the ground.

I landed with a splash, becoming drenched instantly. I spit the excess water out of my mouth and looked up. "You know, you're really short." I balled my hands into fists. "It's pathetic when someone's _girlfriend_ is taller than them." I ran over and kicked him in the stomach.

"At least I could get a girlfriend you filthy piece of shit!" I yelled. He got up and kicked my legs, tripping me. I landed face down, and pulled myself up to my knees, my soaked hair dripping in my face.

"At least I have a family," Xavier snapped. I could feel the blood boiling in my face. A got up and slammed him against a wall, pushing his face into the concrete.

"Don't you _ever_ talk about my family!" I threatened. He growled into the wall and took his knife out of his pocket, hitting my arm with it. I stumbled back and pressed my hand to my arm. A bit of blood came seeping out from underneath.

"We'll meet again," Xavier warned. He placed a hand to his scraped up face, running off.

"R-richard?" Kori's voice quivered from behind me. I turned to her and saw her distraught face.

"What were you doing out here alone?" I questioned colder than I had intended.

"Friend Garfield had taken me the arcade to train me in the 'art' of video gaming," she replied. "And, his aunt wasn't home to drive me, so I walked."

"You never walk around here alone at night. Ever." Kori frowned.

"But Richard, I—"

"Do you understand!" I grabbed her wrists to stop her from getting away anytime soon. "Worse things could have happened to you here!" Tears began to run down her face due to my irrational actions.

"Kori, you promised that you wouldn't go out alone! How could—mmph!" Kori pressed her lips up against mine and cut me off. My eyes went wide and a blush began to form on my cheeks. What surprised me the most was, she didn't pull away after a second or two. She kept her lips on mine, and my hands began to sweat out of nervousness. I wasn't exactly sure if I should kiss back or not. Suddenly, Kori tore her arms away from my grasp, and her lips parted with mine. She shoved me in the chest and quickly ran off, and I knew that the kiss was the only way to free herself. It meant nothing to her at all.

And neither did I.

* * *

A week. It had been a whole week. I don't know how I survived that long. Kori wouldn't talk to me at all, and at lunch she sat in Tara's old seat, leaving an empty one between us. 

She _hated_ me now. She had gone from being in love with me, to ignoring me completely. Although, according to Raven, she thought about me all the time. Raven said she'd end up crying over me every day. Apparently, Kori thought _I_ hated _her_.

I sighed into my pillow, annoyed with my rash actions. I heard the door open behind me, and footsteps signaled someone entering the room.

"Come on emo boy, get up. You'll be late for school," Raven informed me. I sighed and crawled out of my bed. Raven stood a few feet away in her uniform, with some slight alterations. One, she was wearing a sweatshirt, and two, she wore sneakers instead of the black, dress shoes she was supposed to. "I'll meet you downstairs." She walked off and I reached into my dresser, pulling out my uniform. I threw it off and went down to meet Raven.

We walked silently toward the school, as we had been for the past few days. Kori's feet dragged on the ground, and she glanced away solemnly. I stared at my feet most of the time, looking up at her once and a while. Raven walked between us, like a wall separating us. She would try to start a conversation, but fail due to the way Kori and I had been acting recently. We weren't ourselves without each other.

We reached the school and parted ways as we entered the grounds. Raven went to sit with Gar and Vic on the bench near the entrance, while I retreated back to the old tree I used to sit around. Ever since Kori had come, I had tried not to be late so I could walk with her to English. Now, the later I was, the less I'd have to see her and get even more depressed.

Kori was leaning against a fence nearby miserably, the gaze cast towards the sky. I heard a cough from behind me, and turned around to see Barbara standing behind the tree.

"What's up with you two?" she asked, referring to Kori.

"It's…nothing," I sighed. Barbara frowned and sat down.

"Something's up. Did you guys break up or something?" she asked. I blushed and shook my head.

"We were never together in the first place. I just…screwed up, again," I told her, sighing again.

"You weren't. It seemed like you were. You kissed in gym once." I smiled faintly of that memory.

"I know…we were…close to being together. I was going to tell her that I…I—"

"Love," Barbara filled in for me.

"—her," I continued, "But stuff kept getting in the way." Barbara frowned and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Then why not tell her now. Before somebody else does." She stood up and walked away, towards her friends Cassie and Donna. I looked over towards Kori, still at the fence, and thought about what Barbara had said. I considered going up to Kori and telling her now, but the bell rang, and I glumly dragged my feet inside.

* * *

I twirled my fork around in my food (I'm not sure what it is, exactly) and sighed. Kori still insisted on sitting in Tara's old seat. Raven sat across from me, frowning. I hadn't told anyone about what had happened between Kori and I, and according to Raven, Kori hadn't said anything, either. Truthfully, she barely talked at all. Only to the teachers, when she would answer a question in class. 

I wasn't talking much either. I never had a happy tone in my voice, and I was too sad to get angry and yell. Although, people were probably thankful for that.

"Ok, I'm dying here, why the _hell_ are you so emo!" Garfield blurted out. I looked up from my tray of unidentifiable food and raised an eyebrow at him.

"I'm not _emo_," I muttered. Gar snorted.

"Doubt that. You've been acting it lately. I bet you even cut your wrists!" he exclaimed. I rolled my eyes.

"Gar, I—argh!" He grabbed my arm and pulled it toward him, lifting the sleeve of my shirt. Underneath were the cuts from Xavier's blade. Garfield, Raven, and Victor stared at me. "I—"

"EMO!" Victor shouted, a little too loud. Some of the students turned their heads to see what was going on. "Richard you emo freak! Why'd you do that?"

"I didn't! I—"

"You're not fooling us! We can see the cuts on your arm!" Garfield exclaimed. Some of the other kids muttered quietly and stared at me.

"Enough!" Kori silenced them. I turned to look at her, confused. "He is not 'emo', he was in a fight. He got cut with a knife when he was trying to…protect…me, because I…did not listen to him." A wave of guilt washed over me as I realized why she wasn't talking to me. She thought _she_ did something wrong, when in reality, it was_ me_.

"Kori…" I whispered, just loud enough for her to hear. She turned her head away to hide her now watering eyes, and walked out of the lunch room. I sighed and leaned my head on the table.

"Richard, what really happened?" Raven questioned. I looked up slightly and saw her worried face.

"I…don't want to talk about it now. I'll tell you later…" I placed my head back on the table and could feel tears in my eyes. They rolled down my cheeks and onto the hard table, hidden from view because of my arms. I sniffled quietly, and I heard Raven and Victor mumbling quietly about me. They had never seen me cry. _Ever_. I had only cried around Kori, but she was crying herself right now.

I was going to show her I loved her…somehow.

* * *

No offence to emos. It's an inside joke with my friend how we call Robin "EMKO" (it was a typo for emo) because he's always so...emo-ish. Why do you think he has such long gloves? xD And I needed something to lighten up the chapter a little bit. Next two chapter's or so are going to be...interesting. Ski trip. Which is in February. And I promised they'd be together before V-Day, so... -spoiler'd- AND OMG SORRY FOR THE DELAY :( 

Next update: May 29th- Chapter 18, Avalanche


	18. Avalanche

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Teen Titans.

**Dedication:** Everyone reviewing this because it lets me know even though it took me really long to update, you still want to read this.

**Note:** Yay. my computer got fixed :D So here's the FULL chapter 18. Some parts were edited to fit the beginning with what I previously had posted. And now my updates will be normal. Hopefully I'll have chapter 19 up in a few days C:

---

I stared at the girl in my arms, who clung to me tightly. Her gloved hands gripped onto my black jacket, her head buried into my chest. I blushed a deep crimson and lightly pushed her off. She looked up at me with wide, fearful eyes, and I frowned. "It's ok," I whispered. She buried herself back into my chest making me sigh and wonder how we had gotten into this mess in the first place.

_We were in a bus. A very crowded one at that. I was next to the window, gazing out at the mile markers on the highway to entertain myself. It was early morning, around 5:30 AM. Raven was next to me, reading a horror novel, and Garfield had fallen asleep on her shoulder, snoring loudly. Across from us were Victor and Kori. Kori was next to the window, gazing out the window like I was, except she didn't sneak glances toward her love interest every minute._

_"Stop staring Richard. It's rude," Raven muttered, not even looking up from her book. I snorted and turned back towards the window. The bus was pretty quiet aside from Raven's page turning and the snoring of a few students. Surprising for a bus full of high schoolers. Within an hour they'd be screaming and throwing things._

_I turned around to get another quick look at Kori, and she happened to turn my direction at that same moment. We stared for a minute, before I hastily turned away, blushing madly. "I warned you about staring," Raven commented. I glared at her and she ignored me completely, her nose stuffed into her book._

_"I just want to get to the stupid mountain already," I complained. I reached into my backpack in search of anything interesting, without much luck. All that was in it was some chips, a camera, and our math homework that we got over the weekend, which is annoying, because who really wants to do homework on the ski trip?_

_I could hear some talking, and I realized some people had begun to wake up. I pulled out my phone and checked the time. "5:45 AM." We had been driving for a half hour now, and there was still another hour and a half to go. I groaned and looked toward Raven, who appeared pissed due to the fact that Gar was now drooling on her shoulder._

_"Consider yourself lucky. You at least have someone to lean on your shoulder," I told her. She frowned and shook her head._

_"If you weren't such an ass, you'd have someone, too," she replied. I rolled my eyes and turned on my side, trying to get some sleep in before we got there. I hadn't been sleeping well ever since the incident in the alley. I had too much crap on my mind._

_--- _

_"Richard, wake up!" I heard a voice snap at me. I opened my eyes and saw Raven glaring down at me. "Come on, we're here." She turned and walked away, following Garfield. I stood up and grabbed my backpack, pulling it onto my shoulders. I followed after the strange couple and yawned as I stepped out of the bus._

_"You ruined the longest sleep I've had in a week," I complained. Garfield raised an eyebrow in question._

_"You were only asleep for less than two hours. That's long?" I turned my back to him and groaned._

_"I haven't been able to sleep for over an hour without waking up lately due to…certain things on my mind." I walked away before he could question what "things" I was talking about. It's pathetic how obvious it was._

_--- _

_I watched the scene behind me angrily as I sat turned around on the ski lift. Kori was on the chair behind me with another guy. Another guy who happened to be looking at her a little _too_ pleasantly. The two were chattering happily, and I could see a smile on Kori's face. I narrowed my eyes in disgust and turned to Victor, who was sitting beside me._

_"How is she so happy! I mean come on, what does she see in him! Really!" I complained to him. Victor snickered._

_"Somebody's jealous," he commented. I glared at him and turned back to the scene behind us. The boy was sitting _way_ to close to her and she was just oblivious to it all, smiling cheerfully at him while he talked to her about something._

_"...asshole..." I muttered under my breath. Victor laughed and I elbowed him in the side._

_"You _are_ jealous."_

_"I'm _not_."_

_I ignored Victor's laughs as I looked back towards Kori and the boy, who was now grinning largely as Kori spoke to him. I wished that we would get off the ski lift soon. VERY soon._

_The boy began talking again, and I saw Kori's face turn pink. He stopped talking for a moment and then leaned over toward her, kissing her cheek. Kori giggled and blushed even more._

_"That bastard didn't just do that...oh no he didn't..." I muttered. Victor looked at me curiously. "Kissing Kori is _my_ job. Nobody should kiss her except for me!"_

_"Dude. Possessive much?" Victor questioned. "And I doubt you'll be kissing her anytime soon since you two barely even said a word to each other within the past two weeks." I ignored Victor and continued to mutter every swear word I could think of._

_--- _

_When we finally got off the lift, Victor went off with Garfield and Raven, and I waited for Kori so she wouldn't be left behind, and to make sure her little..._friend_ wouldn't be skiing with her._

_Kori got off the lift and I went over to her, grabbing her arm. "Huh?" she questioned as I dragged her off after me. She looked at me confused and I finally stopped pulling her, since we were far enough away from her ski lift partner. "What was that for?"_

_"I should be asking _you_that! What was that all about back on the ski lift!" I yelled at her. Her eyes widened for a moment before narrowing them angrily._

_"Were you spying on me!" she questioned. I didn't answer and looked away, feeling bad. Kori turned around and began to ski down the slope nearest to us. After a moment I went after her._

_"I'm sorry Kori!" I yelled to her. She looked back up towards me and glared._

_"You should be! Why were you spying on me, anyway? Since when do you care about me?" she replied back bitterly. I sighed and looked down towards my skis._

_"…I always cared, Kori." Kori looked back at me, an eyebrow raised. "Even if it doesn't seem like it sometimes…"She looked away and continued to go down the slope._

_"Why do you care so much that he kissed me, Richard?" Kori asked suddenly. I went red and tried to think of an excuse._

_I couldn't think of one._

_"…because," I answered lamely. I heard Kori sigh as she shook her head at my stupidity._

_"Because _why_?" she asked, slightly annoyed. I bit my bottom lip and looked towards the trees. It was the perfect chance to tell Kori my feelings, but my mind kept thinking that she might not love me anymore._

_I had to take the chance. If I didn't tell her, I might never get another chance to._

_"Because…because iloveyou," I whispered. Kori turned around to look at me._

_"What did you say?" she questioned. She didn't hear me. Great._

_"I lo—look out!" I screamed as Kori neared a ramp. She turned around but it was too late. By the time she did, she had already gone off the ramp. She screamed as she flew through the air and fell to the ground, rolling off the side of the slope, her gloved hands clinging onto the side for her life._

_"Kori!" I yelled as I hopped out of my skis and ran over towards her. "Take my hand!" I stretched out my arm for her to take, and she hesitantly let go of the cliff and grasped my hand. I reached out my other hand for her to take but she just bit her lip._

_"…I'm scared," she told me, her voice shaking. I frowned. She didn't trust me._

_"I won't drop you. I promise," I assured her. Kori looked at me worried but pried her hand off the edge and grabbed my own. I pulled her arms and her feet climbed up the edge of the cliff. I gave one last tug and we fell backwards into the snow with Kori on top of me. She wrapped her arms around me and whimpered quietly._

_I stared at the girl in my arms, who clung to me tightly. Her gloved hands gripped onto my black jacket, her head buried into my chest. I blushed a deep crimson and lightly pushed her off. She looked up at me with wide, fearful eyes, and I frowned. "It's ok," I whispered. She buried herself back into my chest making me sigh and wonder how we had gotten into this mess in the first place._

It was a very unpleasant story. I lightly pushed Kori up so I could breathe properly.

"Richard…you saved me…" Kori smiled and looked down at me, and I felt a blush forming on my face.

"Umm…yeah, I guess I—mmph?" I could feel Kori's lips on my own and I blushed. _'Déjà vu.' _But…it felt different than the last time. She didn't seem like she was going to run away and hate me this time. Or at least I hoped not.

I placed my hands on her shoulders and lightly pushed her off of me. "I have to tell you something. Now," I told her. She nodded, a questioning look on her face. "It's…what I was trying to tell you before. Kori, I…I…I l-love you. "Kori's eyes lit up for the first time since the night where I fought Xavier.

"Richard…I…I love you, too," she said quietly, in too much shock to speak much louder. I smiled and placed a hand on her cheek, leaning in and kissing her. She began to kiss back, and I smiled to myself, knowing that I finally got a _real_ kiss. Not another little dare, or because there was mistletoe, or in a desperate attempt to get away from me. Because she _wanted_ to kiss me. And it was a _really_ good kiss.

After a minute we broke apart and just looked into each other's eyes, not saying a word. "…h-how long?" Kori asked, finally breaking the silence. I blushed as I realized what she was asking.

"…Ever since…that day…when you started coming to our school…and I guess, over the course of the day, I just…fell for you," I replied, red in the face. Kori smiled at me and giggled a bit. "What about you?"

"…I…I always had a crush on you…since that first day of school…but, during that fight with Fang…when I saw how beat up you were…but you still fought to protect me…and I just started to…change the way I felt about you," she informed me, turning just as red as I did. I smiled and leaned in to kiss her again, but a large mass of white powder smashed into my face.

Kori giggled as I wiped the snow off my face and I looked around to see where it came from. Up on the ski lift sat Garfield and Victor, laughing hysterically. "I'm gonna kick your asses for that!" I yelled up at them. Kori frowned and shook her head. Victor and Garfield just continued to laugh. I looked behind them to see Raven in the next chair. She looked down at me and Kori, a smile on her face, and then looked away.

"Well…that was ruined…" I muttered unhappily. Kori nodded her head sadly and stood up. She held her hand out for me to take and I grabbed it, getting up to my feet. We each walked around, collecting our skis and met back up with each other, putting them back on.

"Come on, let's go down to the ski lift so we can go back up the mountain and yell at Victor and Gar," I laughed. Kori giggled and grabbed my hand.

"Lead the way, boyfriend." I smiled. _Boyfriend. _I could get used to that.


	19. Blizzard

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Teen Titans.

**Dedication:** All that reviewed chapter 18. (lauren1991, o0xXStArFiReXx0o, Dark's Soul Mate, starfire-robin4eva92, colombianwing, batdel, heartbreaker91, FallenTeenHearts, longhairedhorse, samuraigurl1213)

---

As I walked into the ski lodge, my fingers entwined with Kori's, everyone went quiet. All the students from Murakami High turned and looked at us. A few people whispered and pointed, and a group of girls suppressed their giggles as we walked by them. Some of the students looked very annoyed, glaring at Kori and I.

I sat down at the table where Garfield, Raven, and Victor were sitting. "Why's everyone watching us?" I whispered to Victor, and he just snickered.

"Oh, you'll see in about a minute," he informed me. I raised my eyebrow at him and shook my head. Vic could be strange at times. I felt a tap on my shoulder and I turned around to see a grinning Barbara Gordon standing there.

"Nice job, Richard. You did something right," she congratulated me. I scratched the back of my neck with my free hand and blushed lightly.

"Umm…thanks," I replied, looking down. "I'm guessing every single person sitting in this room knows, too?" Barbara nodded, laughing a bit.

"How could someone not have heard it? Those two idiots shouted it out right when they walked in here." Barbara pointed towards Gar and Vic sitting behind me. "_'Oh my God Richard and Kori were making out on the mountain oh my God finally!'_" I blushed furiously and turned away. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Kori blushing too as she fiddled with her jacket zipper in her free hand.

Barbara walked away back to sit with her group of friends, and the silence in the room began to go away as the teens began chatting again. I turned around to face my three friends, glaring at the two males. "Sorry, it just kinda…slipped out," Vic apologized. I shook my head and let it fall to the table as I sighed.

"Real smart," I muttered. I felt Kori's fingers unlatch from mine and place her hand on my back comfortingly. "Did you really have to word it that way you did?" Garfield snickered and Victor just whistled innocently. I heard Raven sigh at then and put her face in her palm, and I knew both of us were thinking the same thing…

_'Idiots.'_

---_  
_

I stood on the balcony of the ski lodge, leaning on the railing for support. The sky was painted in hues of pink and orange as the sky neared the horizon. I sighed happily as I had finally got a chance to relax and think about all that had happened that day. Within less than twenty-four hours I had been caught staring, had a jealous explosion due to a boy flirting with and kissing Kori, saved her life, admitted my true feelings, and kissed her—twice on the mountain. I felt a blush form across my face as that thought came to mind.

We would be leaving soon, back in the bus for another two hour ride back to Jump City. Most of the other students were returning their skis or getting a snack before we departed. I heard the door behind me open and footsteps approach.

"Richard, we're leaving soon," Raven's deadpan voice informed me, breaking the silence. I looked towards her and nodded.

"You seen Kori?" I asked. Raven smiled slightly as I wasn't so shy to ask about Kori anymore.

"She's inside getting hot chocolate. I'll tell her you want to see her." Raven turned around and walked away, going back inside, the door slamming behind her. I sighed and leaned back on the railing. My gaze returned once again to the now setting sun and I frowned as I realized that it wasn't right without Kori. We had always watched the sunset together. I could still remember the first time we did on the beach…

_"It is most beautiful, isn't it?" Kori sighed as she rested her head on her knees,_

_"Yeah," I replied. Of course, I wasn't looking at the sunset._

"Richard?" Kori interrupted me from my thoughts and I turned around to look at her.

"Hey Kor," I greeted, smiling. Kori smiled back, blushing a light pink.

"Raven…said that you requested my presence?" she questioned. I nodded and gestured to the sky.

"Can't watch the sunset without you." Kori smiled and wrapped her arms around me, her head leaning on my shoulder. My face turned scarlet and I shook my head at myself. I really should have gotten used to this by now, especially since she was my…girlfriend. Just thinking that word made me blush even more. It felt funny being able to call her that.

"When I first came to Murakami High School…I would've never even thought I'd have met someone so wonderful. And even when I saw you that morning, I would've never dreamed to have fallen in love with you," Kori muttered quietly, blushing. I blushed even more, if that was possible. Kori stepped away and looked to the side to hide her red face.

"Same here," I whispered. "When you walked in, sure I thought you were…pretty, but…" I reached out my arm towards her and grabbed her hand, making her blush more. "I guess I somehow just started to fall in love with you. And over the year so far, my feelings grew even more. I never thought that…you'd love me, too."

Kori tightened her grip on my hand and I looked to her, smiling. She smiled back at me, and I felt our faces coming closer. I brought my left hand up toward her face, cupping her cheek, and closed my eyes. I felt her lips touch mine lightly, but the door swung open behind us and we jumped apart, our faces scarlet.

"Hey guys," Garfield greeted us cheerfully, grinning as her held in his laughs. "Having fun?" I narrowed my eyes at him and tried not to blush more from hearing his comment, failing miserably.

"What do you want?" I asked bitterly. Garfield snickered and I heard him mutter something along the lines of "_I know what _you_ want._"

"Bus is leaving in like two minutes. Get down here." Gar walked back through the door and Kori and I were left alone again. I sighed and looked towards her.

"Let's go." I walked towards the door and reached out my hand to grab the handle, but Kori grasped my wrist, stopping me. I turned to look at her. "Wha—" Kori planted her lips on mine, pulling away after a few seconds. She looked at my blushing face and giggled.

"I am hoping you are satisfied." She walked through the door and out of sight, leaving me standing there, my finger on my lips. That girl was too smart.

---

I felt a hand on my shoulder, shaking me, and I opened my eyes slightly. "What?" I questioned, half asleep.

"You and you girlfriend better wake up because we're going to be at school in like, two minutes," Ravens voice answered. I opened my eyes all the way and saw a sleeping Kori, her lips right next to mine, so if I were to turn my head slightly to the left, they'd be touching. Our arms were wrapped around each other, and her legs were curled up on the bus seat.

I turned to the right to see Raven sitting there, turned around talking to Victor on the next seat across the aisle. Beside him was Garfield, whose head was leaning against the window, drool coming out of his mouth as he snored.

Kori shifted below me, and I almost slipped off the seat. I looked down at her and she was still sleeping peacefully. "Kori…wake up," I whispered. She didn't move. "Kori?" I tried again, a little louder. Still nothing. I shook her shoulders, but all she did was lean her head down into my chest, 'casing me to blush. "Raven, she won't get up!"

Raven turned around to look, and laughed. "I'm surprised you'd want her to." I glared at her and she just ignored it. "Well, I'll guess you'll have to carry her out then." The bus came to a halt and I looked out the window behind Garfield and saw the school's entrance. Gar woke up from the sudden stop, and muttered something under his breath. The doors opened and students began to walk out of the bus. I stood up, looking down at Kori and sighed. I reached down and lifted her up into my arms, and she snuggled up on me, grasping my shirt.

I began to walk out of the bus, following Raven and Garfield, and I was very happy Kori wasn't heavy. She must've weighed about 100 pounds at the most. I always knew she was thin, but…I never knew she was _that_ thin. I'd have to remember to make Alfred feed her more the next time she ate dinner at my house.

The five of us all piled into Victor's car, and he began to drive off toward Garfield's house first. He sat up in the front seat next to Vic, and the two of them were arguing over whether Victor had cheated on some game or not while they were in the Arcade at the ski lodge. The fight didn't end until we reached Garfield house and Gar slammed the car door shut after blowing Raven a kiss goodbye, which caused her to turn a bright shade of red.

For the rest of the ride towards Kori and I's houses, me and Raven had gotten into our own argument after I started laughing at her due to her embarrassment from Garfield blowing her that kiss.

"Stop laughing it's not like you're any better at relationships!"

"Yeah, well you've been going out with Garfield since November!"

"You and Kori have been _acting_ like it since October!"

"She's just an emotional person, Raven!"

"But she did love you, so it's not an excuse!"

"Well—"

"Would you two shut up!" Victor growled and held on tightly to the steering wheel. "I'm surprised you didn't wake Kori up! Jesus, I don't know how you two can stand being in the same house."

"It's a very big house," I muttered, glaring at Raven.

"Thank God," Raven added in, glaring back. Victor's car came to a stop in front of my house, and Raven sighed in relief, opening the door and walking out. She went up to the steps and sat down waiting for me to open the door up for her, since she didn't want to bother Alfred. I walked up towards Kori's door and rang the bell. I waited a few minutes, but no answer. Kimi must've left and Ryan must've been sleeping. I sighed and walked back to my own door, opening it up, Raven, Kori, and I going inside.

Raven walked off towards the guest wing, and I made my way up the stairs to my own bedroom. I opened the door and walked up to the bed, laying Kori down on it. I took off her jacket and shoes, placing them onto the floor beside the bed. I tore off most of my own clothes, leaving on just my boxers and t-shirt, and laid down next to her pulling up the blanket. I felt her stir next to me and I looked towards her. She laid there, her eyes open, looking at me.

"Richard? Why am I—"

"No one would answer the door at your house," I cut her off. "Just go back to sleep." Kori said nothing and rolled over, snuggling up into the blankets. I put my arm around her and pulled her up against me, and I heard her giggle.

"Goodnight Richard." She turned around and gave me a kiss on the lips before burying herself into my chest and dozing off.

"Goodnight Kori."

---

A few days passed and it was soon Wednesday, February 14th—Valentine's Day. Raven and I were getting along normally again. Neither of us could ever really hold a grudge for over a day, and we'd end up settling on a truce. I heard a knock on my bedroom door and knowing it was her, told her to come in. Since it was Valentine's Day, the school let us not have to wear uniforms for the day, which Raven had taken advantage of. She wore a blue and black striped long sleeved top with a gray sweater and dark jeans. On her feet were her black Converses. Her only somewhat Valentine's looking thing on was a silver necklace that Garfield had given her for her birthday last year.

"Making Gar happy?" I questioned. She nodded, blushing. I pulled on my black sweatshirt over my gray tee and walked over towards the door. "Let's go." The two of us walked down the stairs and out the front door, and I ran over to Kori's house, causing Raven to laugh. Before I could even ring the bell, a rushing Kimi ran out the door and right into me, the two of us falling onto the ground.

"Sorry Richard! I'm late!" she said hurriedly as she got up and dusted off her denim skirt.

"Where's Kori?" I asked her. Normally Kori would be ready and sitting on the stairs or the living room couch. She would've come to the door by now.

"Oh she's not going to school today. She's sick."

"_What!"_

_---_

Just a little filler chapter to connect chapters 18 and 20. Just so you know, I put up the first half of eighteen, and a few little changes were made to the second half so I could connect it properly.

I'm going to Ireland tomorrow, so I really wanted to get this up today. I'll be coming back on the 28th, so don't expect an update until a few days after I get back

Next Chapter-Chapter 20: Meow, Early September


	20. Meow

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Teen Titans.

**Dedication:** Ocean Eyes, for being the 225th reviewer.

---

_"How did she get sick!"_

Kimi sighed. "I don't know Richard, and I don't have time to talk I've gotta go." She gave me a kiss on the cheek and ran into her car, driving off in seconds. I stared at her, confused as I put my hand to my cheek.

"What was that about?" Raven questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"…I don't know…"

---

The school grounds were filled with hundreds of teens, most of them dressed up in shades of pink and red. Many of them were engaged in flirting, or even more romantic activities. I glumly walked in, several feet behind Raven, dragging my feet. Garfield ran up to her when we were just a few feet away, and threw his arms tightly around her.

"Uhh…happy Valentine's Day, Gar," Raven muttered, blushing. She quickly kissed him and pulled away, hiding her red face. Victor walked up to us, snickering.

"Hey, where's Mrs. Grayson?" he questioned, resulting in a howl of laughter from Garfield. I could even see Raven suppressing her laughter as my emotionless and now reddening face looked up at them.

"If you're talking about Kori, she's not coming. She's sick," I informed them, trying not to sound _too_ bitter.

"Aw, poor _Richie_. His _wife_ is too sick to spend Valentine's Day with him. Tragic," Garfield managed to get out before he and Victor erupted into a fit of laughter. Raven shook her head and sighed.

"Don't worry. They'll mature…someday," I told her. "…hopefully."

---

I scribbled little pink hearts onto the piece of paper in front of me, sighing. Ms. Rouge had told us to make a Valentine's card for "someone special" today. I guess she figured it would be a nice easy thing for us to do. "Grayson, that must be the most pathetic Valentine's card I've ever seen." I looked up at Ms. Rouge, hovering over my shoulder. She waved her finger in disapproval. "I feel sorry for whoever may be getting that card, but I think I already have an idea who that is." She smirked.

"Richard's just depressed since his girlfriend is sick," Garfield informed her. She nodded.

"I think Ms. Anders might get better quicker if her _loving_ boyfriend was to give her a card with actual effort put into it, don't you think, Grayson?" My head snapped up and I turned to her.

"How do you know—how'd you figure that out?" I stammered, stumbling over my words. Ms. Rouge laughed and shook her head.

"It couldn't be any more obvious," she replied. I sighed and looked down.

"Am I _that_ bad?" Garfield and Ms. Rouge just coughed and looked away.

---

I stood in the deserted hallway, leaning on my locker, waiting. Waiting.

Waiting.

Stupid Raven and her _need_ to go to the bathroom and her…female problems. Everyone else had already _left_ school, and I was stuck waiting. The quicker we got back home the earlier I could go see Kori.

I heard footsteps coming from down the hall, and I turned my head to see Kitten running up. _Great_. Just what I needed. Being alone with Kitten. On Valentine's Day of all days.

"Hi Richard!" she said cheerfully as she stopped in front of me. She twirled a strand of her platinum blonde hair around one of her fingers with pink painted nails.

"…hi, Kitten," I replied, almost as deadpan as Raven. "What do you want?" Kitten pouted her red lips.

"What, I can't just have a nice conversation with you?" she questioned, crossing her arms over her chest. I looked at one of her hands and noticed something missing. The ring Fang had given her months ago was no longer on her finger.

"…did you break up with Fang?" I questioned, concerned for my safety. If Fang wasn't going out with her anymore, then she wouldn't be restricted from me anymore. Kitten sighed and let her shoulders slump.

"…yeah. He…he likes…someone else," she choked out. She was _crying_. No one ever thought she felt much for Fang, due to her infatuation with me.

"…oh. That…that's too bad. Do you know who it is?" I questioned, curious. Kitten's head dropped and she looked to her feet.

"…yeah. It's uh…well…it's Kori." I blinked. _Kori?_ Last time I checked, he tried to _kill_ her.

"He tried to kill her once. Why would he like her?" Kitten just shook her head.

"…I…I don't know…he probably just thinks she's hot, like every other guy in this school. And don't try saying you don't think that, because I know you do. You're going out with her." I blushed and turned my head away, trying to hide it.

"…I'll admit that she's um…good looking, but um…that's not the reason why I'm with her. …I like her for…who she is. I…love her." Kitten started bawling and she buried her head into my shoulder. I frowned. That wasn't exactly the smartest thing to say.

"Fang used to say that to me…" I bit my bottom lip. She wasn't taking this very well. "He was…my only friend, Richard. The only person who'd talk to me, who would stand me. And now…" I put a comforting hand on her back. '_Hurry up, Raven.'_

"I'm sure…there's some one else," I said, feeling a little guilty. I wasn't exactly the nicest person to Kitten, either. I tried to avoid her most of the time, and when that didn't work, I was…cruel.

"Richard…you wanna know why I like you so much?" I just looked at her, confused. "You…you were the one who always cared the most about me. I know you don't like me, but…you'll still talk to me. Even if you're not very happy about it. And in third grade…back when we used to give out Valentine's Day cards in class…you were the only one to give me a card. And for the years after that, you still thought about me, and took the time to give me one. No one else would."

I felt _bad_. I was the only person who ever showed any kindness to her and truthfully, I hated her. And she knew that. I sighed. "Kitten…Fang might be gone but…" I was going to regret this. "You'll still have one friend." Kitten lifted up her head and looked at me, her cerulean eyes red and puffy.

"...Richard…" She leaned up to kiss me, but I placed a finger to her lips.

"Don't. Just…friends. Nothing more." She frowned.

"…please, Richard?"

"No."

"Just one?" I looked down at her sad face and sighed. I was too nice.

"F-fine. Just one. And I'm telling you now, it doesn't mean anything." Kitten smiled and pressed her lips against mine, and I turned red. It was an…awkward situation. One that Kori could never know about. Kitten pulled away and was blushing.

"Thank you, Richard…for being my friend." She hugged me tightly before walking away, and disappearing around the corner at the end of the hall. Once she was out of view I brought my arm up to face and wiped my lips with the back of my hand.

"Disgusting."

---

After Raven _finally_ finished in the bathroom, the two of us began walking home. When we reached Kori's house, Raven continued walking, but I decided to at least talk to Kori on Valentine's Day.

I walked up the stairs and rang the doorbell, waiting for the door to open. After about a minute the door opened, Ryan standing in the doorway. "Kori's sick," he replied without even giving me the chance to ask.

"…I know. Can I see her anyway?" I asked.

"No." Ryan went to close the door, but I put my foot in front of it.

"Why not? Come on, please?" Ryan sighed.

"Fine…but be quiet. My parents are home." I nodded and walked into the house, quickly getting into the elevator. I pressed the button for Kori's floor, and waited as the elevator went up. After a moment it stopped and the doors opened, revealing Kori's dark room. All the lights were off, and no sunlight was coming through the large windows, due to the fact that it was very cloudy outside.

I walked over to her bed and looked down at her sleeping figure. Her messy hair was sprawled out across her many pillows. I one of her arms she gripped tightly onto a stuffed Jaguar. Her blankets had slid off of her towards the bottom of her bed, just covering her up to her ankles. I saw her shiver slightly from the cold due to the fact that her pajamas were just a maroon lace tank top and a pair of girl boxers.

I grabbed the blankets and pulled them up to her shoulders, and she snuggled up into them. I heard her mutter my name in her sleep and I blushed. She was dreaming about me. I shook her shoulder in an attempt to wake her up. "Kori?" I whispered. "Wake up…" Kori stirred and her eyes slowly opened, a smile forming on her face as she saw me.

"Richard…you…shouldn't be here. You'll get sick," Kori scolded me. I shrugged.

"But I have to see my girlfriend on Valentine's Day," I began. "She left me all alone the whole day and I felt so unloved." I fell back onto Kori's bed and she giggled at my overdramatic-ness.

"Richard, you're so silly." She sat up and leaned over towards me, kissing my cheek. I smiled at her, my face turning a light shade of pink. I sat up and looked into her mint colored eyes, grinning. "…what?" I swiftly grabbed the sides of her face and pulled her lips up to mine, giving her a quick but sweet kiss.

Kori blushed as I pulled away and she shook her head. "Richard, now you're _really_ going to get sick," she warned me. I just shrugged and wrapped my arms around her waist, leaning in closer.

"I don't care." My lips locked with hers and we began to start kissing…passionately. She fell back onto the bed and I went down with her, still holding tightly onto her waist. Our lips moved quickly in pattern against each others, and her hands moved up from her sides up into my hair. She twirled a strand of it around her finger, and broke the kiss for a moment to breathe.

"I love your hair." She giggled and ran her fingers through it. "It's so long and fun." She leaned back up and her lips met back with mine, our kiss continuing. My tongue touched against her lips, asking permission for entry, which she granted. I felt my face becoming redder as her own tongue began to explore my mouth.

She rolled over so she was on top of me, and began to pull off my shirt. My face turned maroon at the action. I never thought _Kori_ of all people would be someone to kiss like _this_ so early on in our relationship. I guess since we acted so much like a couple before we got together, it actually felt like we _had_ been together for a few months, when in reality, it was just a few days.

My hand reached for the bottom of her tank top, but Kori pulled away from the kiss and smirked. "You don't want to go too far, now, do you?" She giggled a bit and shook her head.

"Do you have to ruin all the fun?" I teased her, and she nodded, laughing.

"I'm afraid so." She gave me another quick kiss and rolled onto her side, leaning her head on my chest. "I love you, Richard…" I blushed and held onto her tighter.

"I love you too, Kori…happy Valentine's Day."

---

I got this up MUCH earlier than I expected, yay :D The beginning scenes are kinda bleh but this chapter was really suppossed to be about Richard and Kitten's relationship. Gotta love the crazy blonde whore. A yup.

And since this is the TWENTIETH (big numbah) chapter, I've decided to ask you, what was your favorite chapter so far, and why? C: Please answer it in your reviews. I wanna know.

Update Status: Chapter 21- Untitled, September 4th


	21. Moodswings

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Teen Titans, or any popcorn. Man I need to get myself some popcorn.

**Dedication:** Steve Irwin :C

-----------------

I woke up feeling horrible. My stomach was burning in pain, and my nose was completely stuffed up. I sniffled as I sat up and opened my eyes. I looked toward the clock- it read "7:50AM". Raven would come in any second now ready to leave. I got up and grabbed one of my uniforms from my dresser and pulled it on. Right on cue, Raven knocked on the door. "Richard, come on!" she shouted from the hallway.

"It is time for us to leave!" I heard Kori giggle. At least _she_ wasn't sick anymore. I slid my feet into my shoes and went over to the door, opening it. "Richard…are you ok?"

"I'm fine," I replied, sneezing afterwards. That sure would back me up. I wiped my nose with the back of my sleeve, shuddering. Kori ran her hands through my unbrushed hair, trying to straighten it up a bit, and sighed.

"You do not look very good. You are extremely pale," Kori informed me, frowning. She pressed her right hand against my forehead, and shook her head. "I told you that you would get sick yesterday." Her face began turning pink due to memories of the day before. "You should lie down."

"Kori, I feel fine!" I lied. It's not that I wanted to go to school; I just didn't want another day without seeing Kori.

"Do not be ridiculous! You are clearly unwell!" Kori began pushing me back into my room, and shoved me onto my bed. I fell face first and rolled over, sitting up. She pushed me back down, and before I could protest, she began to speak again. "Do not try to argue with me! You are far too sick to go anywhere today, but I do promise that I shall come see you later." She smiled and leaned down, kissing my forehead.

I blushed and laid down, sighing. "Fine, but you better keep that promise."

----------------

Two weeks went by and March came. The weather had warmed somewhat, and the snowfalls had converted into now pouring rains. My birthday would be coming soon, and I sighed knowing that I would be constantly asked what I wanted. I already had everything I wanted. I lived in a mansion, drove an expensive car, and had Kori Anders for a girlfriend. I couldn't possibly think of any single thing that could make my life better in anyway.

"Yo, Richard, stop spacing out!" Victor called to me. I blinked and realized that I wasn't alone. We were all having a sleepover at my house, for some unknown reason. It wasn't even my idea. It was Gar's, of course.

Garfield, Victor, and Kitten sat on my floor, looking at me concerned due to my lack of attention. It was pretty obvious to them my mind was on something else.

Everyone seemed to be getting along with Kitten pretty well, although they weren't exactly happy about it at first. They thought I was nuts on February 16th when I let her sit at our lunch table. I couldn't say no after the events on Valentine's Day.

"Earth to Richard!" Garfield exclaimed. There I went again. I really needed to stop doing that.

"Sorry," I apologized. "I was…thinking."

"Well, stop having perverted thoughts about your girlfriend and pay attention!" Gar snapped, making my face turn red.

"Garfield!" Kitten scolded him, shaking her head.

"Seriously, Gar, do you constantly have to bring up my love life?" I questioned, rolling my eyes. Garfield just whistled and looked away, innocently.

"Speaking of Kori, where is she, anyway?" Victor asked, raising an eyebrow. I shrugged my shoulders and looked towards the clock. It was 5:36.

"I don't know. She said she'd be here at 5:30. Apparently she had to watch Ryan until Kimi got home. Kimi must be running late," I answered.

The door opened and Raven walked in, holding a large stack of movies, a bag of chips, and a bag of popcorn. Garfield immediately went and grabbed the chips and sat back down on top of his sleeping bag, eating the chips like he hadn't eaten in days. "Hello to you, too," I heard Raven mutter as she placed the popcorn and movies on the floor. Kitten reached for the popcorn, and began eating some, while Victor began looking through the movies.

Raven fell back on my bed, just barely missing my feet, and sighed. I sat up and glanced at her. She looked tired. "You okay, Rae?" I asked, a bit worried. She opened her bloodshot indigo eyes and looked at me, frowning.

"…not really. My English teacher has been giving out a lot of homework lately, so I haven't gotten much sleep." I shook my head. Raven really should just get out of that AP English class.

"That's ridiculous!" Garfield exclaimed. "Stop doing the damn homework, Raven!"

"Why, so she can spend her nights with you?" I heard Victor mutter, and I snickered a bit. It was nice to see someone _else's_ relationship get mocked for once. But, Garfield heard his comment, too, and he glared at Victor, clearly unhappy.

"Shut up," he muttered, turning away to hide his blushing face. Kitten giggled at his embarrassment, but soon it died down and the room was quiet. We all sat there, silent. Victor went back to looking at the movies, while Kitten and Gar snacked on the food. Raven lay there, her eyes closed. I wouldn't be surprised if she fell asleep.

Right on cue the door opened, Kori walking in. She was just the person to get us all talking cheerfully again.

At least she normally would.

Kori dragged her feet and looked down as she came into the room, flopping down on my bed. She wrapped her arms around me and buried her head into my shoulder, and I just sat there, confused. Garfield, Victor, and Kitten looked at me, the same bewildered expression on their faces, and a slightly agitated one on Kitten's. Raven must have passed out, since she hadn't moved at all.

"Uh…Kori…are you okay?" I placed an arm on her back and frowned.

"…my grandma died," she choked out. "I'm going back to Italy tomorrow for a week." I felt my shoulder becoming wet and I hugged her tightly in an attempt to comfort her.

"You're Italian?" Garfield questioned. Kori nodded and lifted up her head, turning to face him.

"Italian and Irish, but I lived in Italy before I came to America," she answered.

"…what time are you leaving tomorrow…?" I asked, hoping it would be late. It would be nice to spend the day with her before she left for a week. And then it sunk in—she'd be gone for a _week_. I frowned. I found it funny that before I met Kori, I could go through a week perfectly fine, but now that I met her, I couldn't go a day without seeing her. Love does that to you.

"…my flight leaves at 10:30am…so I have to leave for the airport at 7," Kori responded sadly. More tears began to flow from her eyes and she buried her head into my chest, hugging me tighter. I fought hard not to cry myself, and thankfully succeeded. The others didn't need to see me cry again. I probably almost traumatized them the first time. It was weird how Kori could make me cry, when I hadn't cried for years.

"…I'm gonna miss you…" I whispered, kissing her cheek. That's all I could do right now, because if I kissed her lips, that would end up being very long, and good blackmail for Vic and Gar.

But of course, Garfield had to snicker anyway. I turned my head towards him and glared daggers, and he whimpered, hiding behind Kitten. "Ew, don't touch me," she complained, pushing him away. Gar fell on his back and got up, yelling at Kitten.

"Don't ew me! I'm not some skanky blonde!" he shouted at her. Kori turned her attention toward the argument, and Raven sat up, watching too. Victor grabbed for the popcorn, eating it jokingly.

"What have you got against blondes?" Kitten yelled back, flaring her nose and poking a finger into his chest.

"I have nothing against blondes! Tara was a blonde! _I'm_ a blonde! I just hate skanky ones!" Garfield's expression softened afterwards, realizing what he had said. He had mentioned _Tara_. It had been a while since anyone brought her up.

"I'm no skank!" Kitten scoffed and whacked Garfield in the back of the head. Gar had no response. He just sat there, staring into space. I heard him quietly mutter Tara's name, before getting up and walking out of the room.

"Maybe someone should—"

"No. He'll be back. He just needs some time," Raven cut Victor off before he could finish. "He still hasn't gotten over her." Kori furrowed her brows and unlatched herself from me, turning and letting her feet dangle of the side of my bed.

"I believe there is something about him and Tara that he is not telling us about," she muttered, resting her head in her hands. Raven flopped back down onto the bed and sighed.

"…I should've never given him that kiss that day…" She grabbed one of my pillows and pulled it over her head.

"Why did you?" Victor asked. "It was actually kinda funny. All of a sudden I see your lips smashed on his and his eyes even bigger than Richard's when he stares at Kori." I grabbed the pillow away from Raven and sent it flying straight for Victor's head. Kori giggled at me and I turned to her and looked at her, insulted. She just covered her mouth and giggled more, and I tackled her down onto the bed.

"Richard, stop!" she laughed. I grinned and kept her pinned down, and she struggled below me.

"I don't know, Victor! I just did! I'm so stupid," I heard Raven groan from behind me. Kori and I seemed to be in our own little world at the moment. Although I swear I could feel Kitten's jealous eyes watching us.

Kori continued to squirm below me, and sighed. Then, a sly grin formed on her face and she looked up at me. "What…?" I questioned. She brought her hands to the sides of my face and pulled it down towards hers, smashing her lips onto mine. I tensed up and she took the opportunity to roll over so she was now on top, and I was pinned down instead. She pulled away from the kiss and grinned.

"Looks like you are stuck now," she laughed, and I rolled my eyes. Behind us, I could hear the rest of Victor and Raven's conversation.

"I'm going to go for a walk," Raven said, sighing. She stood up and walked out of the room. Kori and I looked towards Victor, curious.

"She doesn't think Garfield loves her," Victor informed us. Kori "oh"ed and frowned sadly.

"That's not a very nice feeling," Kori said sadly, "I would know." She glanced down at me, and I looked away, feeling terrible. I knew I wasn't exactly the best boyfriend ever. Back when we were just friends, all the stuff that I had done and all the things I had said…they really didn't make it look like I loved her. Not at all.

"I feel so left out," Kitten groaned, "I'm the only single one. Garfield and Raven have their…strange relationship. Victor has a new girlfriend every week so I've lost track and you two…" She pointed at Kori and I. "…you're just like…that perfect little couple."

"I do say I must disagree with that," Kori said, shaking her head. We were definitely far from perfect.

"Seriously. I say we must be the _least_ perfect couple. Our relationship has so many problems," I informed Kitten. Kori nodded at that and I pouted at her for agreeing with me saying we had problems. She stuck her tongue out playfully and turned her attention back to Kitten.

"Doubt that. You kiss her _way_ more passionately than you kissed me from what I can see," Kitten commented. Kori's eyes narrowed and she looked towards me, an unpleasant expression plastered on her face.

"You _kissed_ Kitten?" she asked through gritted teeth. _'Oh crap.'_ She wasn't supposed to find out about that. Ever. This was going to be hard to get myself out of.

"I-I d-didn't!" I exclaimed, waving my arms in front of myself. "She kissed me!" I tried defending myself. It didn't work very well. The displeased expression stayed on her face as tears started to fall from them, and she turned away. She climbed off of me and walked across the room.

"I guess we really aren't perfect," I heard her whisper as she made her way out the door, tears streaming down her face.

------------------

It was so tempting to name this "The chapter where everyone walks out the door" xD Of course, that didn't fit. So I went with Moodswings (due to FMC saying it was the story's time of the month xD) because the chapter likes to constantly go from a fluffy moment to an emo moment.

And some little dialogue only previews from the next chapter: (some parts may be changed slightly once it's submitted)

"I don't want it to end this way."  
---  
"I want you to smile again."  
"I don't think I can..."  
"Maybe I could help..."  
"...perhaps you could..."

Update Status: Chapter 22- Untitled, September 11th...ew. That's not a very nice update day. Don't blame me, I just go by every week :C


	22. Smiles, Flashbacks, and Risks

**Disclaimer:** Not owning Teen Titans. Get the picture by now? 'Kay?**  
**

**Dedication:** Reviewer 250 by starXrobin (unsigned) and all the people that died in September 11th, and the firefighters that tried to help.

---------------------I miss the line tool.-------------------------

I watched the door close behind Kori, in horror. She was completely heartbroken. I needed to explain everything to her, hoping she'd listen. I got up from the bed and made my way across the room, not looking at Kitten as she frantically tried to apologize. Weather it was a sincere apology or not, I wasn't sure.

I left the room and ran down the hall, hoping to find Kori still in the house somewhere. Maybe she had met up with Garfield or Raven and they had consoled her. I went down the stairs and walked into the entrance hall, heading to the kitchen. I walked in and I could hear very faint sobs coming from somewhere nearby. '_Please let that be Kori.'_ The sobs sounded muffled, as if they were from behind another wall…or glass. I raced to the sliding glass door and pulled it open.

Kori was sitting on the top step of the small stairway leading down into the backyard. Her face was in her hands as she cried. I slowly walked over and sat down, placing a hand on her shoulder. She shrugged it off and I sighed. "Kori…let me explain," I told her. She shook her head no. "Come on, Kor."

"No, Richard," she choked out. "I figured you had already broken my heart enough times. I am tired of this. No more second chances." She brought her hands away from her face and her watery, red, puffy eyes looked into mine. Just looking at her like this wanted to make me cry.

"Kori…if you don't let me explain this…we're both going to end up with a broken heart," I whispered. I reached out my hand to grab hers, but she pulled away. "Kori—"

"Just go away," Kori groaned. She wrapped her arms around her legs and shivered a bit. A cold gust of wind blew and we huddled a little closer together for warmth. Neither of us had jackets on, which was not very smart. Also due to the fact that there was a light rain.

"I don't want it to end this way," I muttered. "Please, if you would just let me explain why Kitten…kissed me." Kori sighed. She knew I wasn't going to give up easily.

"…fine," she said, defeated. I gave her a small smile but she looked away, out in front of herself.

"Okay…it was on Valentine's Day. I was waiting in the hall for Raven and Kitten showed up. I found out Kitten and Fang had broken up, because he likes you." Kori's eyes widened. "Yeah. I know. Anyway, Kitten was sad and she sent me on a guilt trip since she said I was the nicest person to her. And I told her I'd be her friend, and then she tried to kiss me. I stopped her but she kept asking 'Please?' and I finally just gave in. I swear I didn't want to do it, and I'm sorry I ever let her in the first place. I should've known something like this was going to happen."

Kori looked down, silently, towards her feet. "…Do you believe me?" I asked, breathlessly. Kori stayed silent as she thought.

"…I do not know," she replied, frowning. I sighed.

"…you don't have to believe me, if you don't want to. And you don't have to stay with me. You can break up with me. I just can't stand seeing you like this. I want you to smile again." Kori bit her bottom lip and turned towards me.

"I do not think I can…" A lone tear rolled down her cheek and she shook her head. She was too sad to smile.

"Maybe…maybe I could help," I suggested, putting a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at me, and I could see some happiness in her eyes.

"…perhaps you can," she breathed out, placing her own hand on my shoulder. I leaned over and gave her a light kiss. It wasn't long or passionate, just a few seconds, but it was enough to get the message across that I still loved her.

I pulled away and opened my eyes, seeing the small smile on her face. I smiled back as she pulled me into a tight hug. "So, I'm guessing you believe me?" I asked her as a wrapped my arms back around her. I felt her nod on my shoulder. "As much as I'd rather not stop hugging you, we should go inside. It's starting to rain pretty hard." I sighed and released her, standing up. I held out my hand and she grabbed it, getting herself up. The two of us walked back inside together, our hands still clasped onto each other's.

On our way back to where we had left Kitten and Victor alone in my room, we heard a voice coming from a guest bedroom. Two voices, actually—Raven and Garfield's. I stopped walking and Kori looked confused. "This could be interesting," I told her, pulling her back towards me. We pressed our ears toward the door and listened.

Nothing. They had stopped talking and it was completely silent. Kori looked at me a bit annoyed for wasting her time here. "Maybe they know we're here…" I muttered. My hand reached for the doorknob and I turned it, opening the door slightly. Kori and I looked through the opening and immediately closed it once we saw what was going on inside the room. Garfield and Raven were engaged in a very…serious kiss.

Kori and I tried to hold in our laughter as we ran down the hall. I pulled open the door to my room, and the two of us began giggling insanely as we entered. I had to lean on Kori to stop myself from falling over. "Yo, what's so funny?" Victor asked.

"Nothing," Kori and I both said through our laughter. We calmed down a bit and walked over to my bed, falling down on it.

"Whatever," Victor muttered. Than he grinned and turned to face us. "So, you two seem happy." I blushed and turned my head to look at Kori, whose cheeks were a light shade of pink.

"…I…I really am sorry, Richard," Kitten muttered out of nowhere. I sat up and looked at her. Her guilty face looked down towards the floor.

"It's okay, Kitten," I told her, "I explained it to Kori. She's fine with it." Kori looked a bit irritated for a moment but her expression soon turned back into a smile. I smiled back. I leaned over toward her and whispered into her ear, "I'm guessing I helped?" Kori blushed.

"Perhaps you did," she whispered back. She giggled and quickly brushed her lips against mine. My smile grew and I heard Victor groan from across the room and roll his eyes at us.

Just then the door flew open, and a slightly disheveled looking Raven walked in, Garfield behind her. Kori and I started howling with laughter at the sight, remembering what they were doing the last time we saw them. The two of them blushed and Raven smacked me in the back of the head. Victor and Kitten just stared, confused.

"Looks like you had fun, Rae," I muttered. Raven slapped me across the face which resulted in Kori laughing even more.

-------------------------------------------------

I felt a hand shaking my shoulder and opened my eyes halfway, unable to get them open fully. It was too early. Through my blurred vision I could see Kori looking down at me, sadly. "Richard…I must be leaving now," she told me. I got up from the bed and took her hand.

"I'll go with you to the door," I said and we began walking. We moved slowly towards the front doors and remained silent the whole time. Kori looked down towards her feet, and I looked at her. She sighed as we reached the front door, and turned to me. She threw herself at me and I almost toppled over onto the floor. I wrapped my arms around her and held her tight, not wanting to let go.

"I am going to miss you," she whispered. I sighed and pulled her closer to me. She buried her head into my shoulder and I could feel her shaking. I felt my shirt becoming damp and frowned.

"…I'll miss you to…but…you really have to go. It's…" I looked for a clock. "6:55." She unlatched herself from me and sighed. I let go of her and turned to the door, opening it. It was pouring. Kori pulled her jacket hood over her head and stood in the doorway.

"I guess…this is goodbye, then," she whispered, looking over her shoulder at me. I nodded, sadly. Her head dropped to look at her feet. "I shall see you…when I get back." She took a step out into the rain and stopped.

"Kor—mmph!" She had suddenly spun herself around and grabbed my shirt collar, pulling me up into a kiss. I wrapped my arms back around her and deepened the kiss, although I really should have. Her parents were probably getting impatient.

I felt like I was in one of those cheesy, fluffy, unoriginal stories with the overdone first kiss in the rain scene. But, this wasn't our first kiss. Our first kiss seemed like so long ago, back on Halloween during the game of truth or dare, although it really wasn't much of a kiss.

Then there was that kiss in the hallway in November. I don't really count that as much of a kiss, either. She had only done it because Wally West had dared her to do it. I guess I had to thank the annoying track runner one of these days.

After that was the kiss Ryan had made us share in December the morning after my horrifying nightmare. It was more of a kiss then the other two, which lasted a mere second or two, but we _had_ only done it because it was our only choice. Although, thinking back, Kori had already liked me at that time, so…we probably both wanted to.

And then there were the two Christmas kisses. The mistletoe one had felt like it could've been a real kiss, since she had kissed me back, but…it was because the mistletoe. We _had_ to keep up to tradition. The one after it was pretty quick, too, so that couldn't count.

January was a strange month for our relationship. We had almost kissed for _real_ on her birthday, but that was ruined. I gave her a quick kiss a little later on that day, but that didn't count. Neither did the gym class one. And soon after that was the Xavier battle, which ended in Kori's escape plan which involved smashing her lips hard against mine. …that definitely didn't count.

Then, finally, at the ski trip, we had our much awaited _real_ first kiss (after her quick thank you kiss) More kisses had happened since then, many more, but the Valentine's Day one stood out from the rest. That had been much more than a kiss.

It took me a moment to actually notice that Kori wasn't kissing me anymore. She was hugging me, very tightly. I hugged her back, and neither of us was going to want to be letting go anytime soon.

But of course, we had to.

"Kori! Get your ass over here!" Kimi yelled. I looked to my right and saw Kimi standing by her garage door, a black umbrella held over her head. Ryan could be seen running inside of it behind her, his red hair plastered to her head from the rain. Kori's father was looking out, impatiently, and irritatedly (probably due to Kori and I hugging) at us.

Kori turned to look at me, and I expected her to run off towards her garage after a quick goodbye. But she didn't. She planted her lips on mine for a good ten seconds before going towards her house, waving as she ran. I stared. I never expected her to have ever done that with her _father_ around. He was going to murder the both of us. And Kori knew that, but she kissed me anyway.

Either, I'm a really good kisser…or she loves me _a lot_ more than I could've ever hoped for.

-------------------------------------------

TT Tokyo is on Friiiidaaaaay o3o And I know of some of what's happening so I'm like "MOVIE!" -love- And am I the only one who likes BB's outfit? xD

so...lolz. Richard had a total flashback scene in there, kinda like a summary of their relationship, but only with kissing, so some important moments for them are obviously not mentioned. And Richard better hope Mr. Anders doesn't beat his ass xD


	23. A Day With

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Spongebob, Super Soakers, Nickelodeon, or the Crayola company. But I have some Crayola colored pencils in this mess of a room.

**Dedication:** You. Yeah, you with the face.

**Note:** The four "mini-chapters" in this chapter are all unrelated, and each are a different day in Richard's week without Kori. Before each "chapter" is the character's name. You can read them in whatever order you please. The sections are Raven, Garfield, Victor, and Kitten. The girls have much longer sections.

Yay, the line tool is back xD

* * *

---Raven---

I lay down on my bed, moping. The dark, depressing weather seen through my window reminded me of how I was feeling at that moment. I missed Kori. I wished so badly for Saturday to come and her to come back home. We'd probably meet up within the first ten minutes of her return, and hug for about an hour. Or, until her father killed us.

I sighed and rolled over onto my back, looking up at the plain white ceiling. Kori had a dark purple ceiling with stars. They glowed in the dark. Not that I had been there at night. No. She just told me they glowed in the dark. That's all.

I could hear the sounds of Spongebob coming from my TV. Kori had made me watch it one day. It was funny. Although having to sing along to the "Campfire Song Song" was something I would've rather not have done. Nickelodeon was still on since I hadn't turned the TV on and changed the channel in a while.

My hand reached for the remote down on the floor and I changed the channel. Loud music began to blast through the room, which stopped me from hearing the door open. But I did hear Raven's yelling.

"JESUS RICHARD, ARE YOU DEAF?" My finger slid down to the mute button, and the room went quiet.

"…I might be," I replied, my voice sounding dry and unhappy. Raven shook her head and sighed. Sometimes I wished I didn't live in the same house as her. She could get annoyed too easily.

"…what's up with you? You sound depressed," Raven asked, concerned. She sat, legs crossed, on the bed next to me, looking down.

"…it's…nothing," I muttered. I rolled on my side, breaking eye contact. Raven put a hand on my shoulder.

"Richard…you obviously miss her. All of us do. And it's not like you're hiding it at all. You were always bad at hiding your feelings." I frowned. "And I know that, right now, she's missing you, too." I smiled slightly.

"Thanks Rae." I sat up and looked at her. I assumed she'd be going to Garfield's sometime soon, due to two things. One, she had on a dark green shirt. Green was Garfield's favorite color, and I knew it wasn't in Raven's top five. And two, she was wearing…makeup. And not stereotypical gothic five pounds of black eyeliner. Just normal, basic makeup. It wasn't much, but for Raven, it was. "Going to Gar's?"

"…yeah. I really don't think you have to ask, it should be obvious by now. He never leaves me alone." She laughed. "It _almost_ as bad as asking if you and Kori will be together all day. Almost. You two are like inseparable." I frowned again.

"…not exactly." I sighed and pulled my legs up closer to me, wrapping my arms around them and leaning my head on my knees. "There have been times…when separation…has happened. And not only like right now. There's been times she's wanted to stay away, like that whole…thing because of Xavier up until Valentine's Day."

I had explained the whole Xavier incident to Raven after that one day in the cafeteria weeks ago. She scolded me for about forty-five minutes until she had realized how much I was dieing inside. She noticed that I was already punishing myself enough, and stopped. She thought I might die. I remember her later asking how much I loved Kori. I never did answer her.

And now, she decided to ask again.

"…Richard…you didn't answer me the last time I asked but…I'm still wondering, how much do you love Kori?" I bit my bottom lip. Truthfully, I wasn't entirely sure. I knew I loved her—a lot. And I knew it wasn't just like a lot of other teen's relationships. I felt too much for it to just be plain old teen love.

"…I…don't know," I whispered. Raven shook her head.

"Richard…you can tell me." My teeth dug deeper into my lip and I worried it might start to bleed.

"…a lot, Raven. That's all I know for right now. Just…a lot." I could taste blood in my mouth. Great. Now I was bleeding.

"…Richard…if you guys were older…would you marry her?" I felt my face heat up. I wasn't expecting that. I'd never thought about that before. I didn't answer. I couldn't answer. I didn't know what to say, or what I _should_ say. Did I love her that much?

Raven put her hand on my shoulder and got to her feet. "You think about that," she told me as she turned and walked away, the door closing behind her.

I lay down and stared blankly back up at my ceiling, muttering the first word to come to mind.

"Yes…"

---Garfield---

I kicked at the dirt below my sneakered feet and sighed as I looked down at the gravestone. It was one of the few things I could look down at. Garfield knelt down on the ground and placed some flowers in front of the grave. He sighed and his head dropped, but he did not stand. "…I…I loved her," he muttered quietly, and I nodded.

"I thought so," I responded. Gar shook his head.

"…I never really even realized it…until she died. She had told me a bit before that…she loved me, but…" He began to choke over tears. "I turned her down, because I liked Raven. But, I never did _love_ Raven." I raised an eyebrow.

"Do you love Raven now?" I asked. It was silent for a moment. All that could be heard was the wind whistling past us.

"…I don't know for sure if I'd say it's _love._ I don't know if it's that strong." Gar sighed.

"Well…I hope if doesn't take a death for you to figure it out." I walked off, leaving Garfield alone to think.

---Victor---

I watched the three run around the backyard, Super Soakers fully loaded and ready for squirting. Wally shot first, and missed as he aimed for Victor. Vic returned fire, hitting Wally in the chest. "I'm hit!" he screamed dramatically, pretending to feel faint. "Goodbye…cruel…world!" He fell down to the ground and laughed.

"Hey Rich, think fast!" I heard a female voice yell as I got sprayed in the face. I spit water out of my mouth and blinked a few times.

"Barbara, why'd you do that?" I asked annoyed. The red head giggled and twirled around girlishly.

"You're such a party pooper, Richard," she teased, giving me a peck on the cheek. I wiped the side of my face and sighed.

"He's been like this since Kor left. Once she comes back he'll been drenching us," Victor informed her. She nodded.

"Figures," Wally commented, getting up off the ground. "_'Wuver boy'_ can't stand to be without his perfect, loving, beautiful, smart—"

"Shut up," I cut him off. They all laughed and Victor slapped me on the back.

"So, what, are you saying you don't agree with that?" Wally questioned. "You think Kori is a flawed, heartless, ugly, dumb beast?" He snickered and I just rolled my eyes.

"No, of course not. I think she's really, really nice and sweet, and smart, and caring, and gorgeo—shutting up now." I blushed and hid my face in my hands as the all laughed hysterically. "It's not funny," I muttered quietly, blushing more. I heard one of them say "aw, Richard _wuvs_ his girlfriend!" but I couldn't tell who, and my face became redder.

The trio finally halted their laughter. "So um…have you two you know…done anything?" Victor questioned, raising an eyebrow.

As if I could get any redder.

I choked and my eyes went wide. "What do you mean by _that_!" I sputtered out, and Wally snickered. Barbara just kinda looked aside. She knew they were being stupid, perverted men. All girls are like that. Except for Kori. I have yet to hear her criticize the male race.

"Y'know," Wally began. "In bed." I almost choked again at hearing that. Victor was howling with laughter resulting in Barbara delivering him a smack on the head.

"N-no," I answered. I wiped my wet stand of hair out of my flushed face so I could see better. I didn't have the best vision in the first place.

"Not yet, at least," Victor suggested, wiggling his eyebrows. That gained him another smack.

---Kitten---

I watched her dance around the room, her arms spread out to the sides, from my position on the bed. The room was excruciatingly pink. Everywhere were shades of magenta, light red, peach, lavender, and flamingo pink. I felt like I was in a box of Crayola crayons, where all the blue, green, yellow, and neutral colors had been lost.

Kitten flopped down onto the bed by my feet, and sighed. "Enjoy yourself?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. She had twirled around the room in celebration of my coming over, or at least I assumed so. She had begun dancing away when I entered.

"…you know what I'd enjoy more?" Kitten sat up and grinned. I just shrugged my shoulders, signifying that I had no clue. Kitten's grin widened. "This." She grabbed the sides of my face and kissed me, my eyes going wide. I pushed her off immediately.

"…what'dyoudothatfor!" I yelled. She bit her bottom lip and lowered her head, fumbling with one of the sheets.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I…I just—"

"Do you want to take a walk?" I asked, calming down a bit. I got up and reached out my hand, which she grabbed, and pulled her up. She reached for her white sweatshirt and pulled in on, following me out the door.

The two of us walked on the sidewalk, our hands stuffed in our pockets, as the cold wind blew through our hair. Kitten brushed a blonde lock behind her ear and sighed. "I'm confused," she stated. I nodded, telling her to explain. "I just…I really like you—" I blushed. "—but…I just…can't get over Fang."

"Maybe…you thought that, I would help you get over him. So…you, even though you didn't mean to, try to get me to like you," I reasoned. Kitten shook her head.

"No, Richard. I wouldn't use you to get over him, because…he was the one who I tried to use to get over you in the first—" Kitten cut herself off as she felt a hand grab her wrist, and she let out a quiet gasp. She turned around and was face to face with Johnny Rancid, who was known around Jump City for being put in jail a lot for fights and robbery and stuff like that.

"Hey cutie," he whispered into her ear. She grimaced and tried to free her wrist, but failed. "Do you think you could spare me some change?"

"Leave her alone," I told him. He cast his gaze toward me and grinned.

"Richard Grayson. Xavier tells me about you." I narrowed my eyes in disgust. "Hey, where's Kori Anders? Shouldn't you head home before it gets dark so you can…spend the night together?" I gritted my teeth. I wasn't in the mood to listen to one of Xavier's low life pals making suggestive comments about my relationship.

"She's in Italy. Now go away," I snapped. Johnny frowned.

"Aw, but I'm in need of some money, and if Blondie here doesn't have any, maybe she could—augh!" I laughed. Kitten kicked him in the balls.

"Leave me alone you disgusting freak and don't touch me again, ya got that!" she fumed, poking him in the chest. His eyes narrowed and he grabbed her wrist, squeezing in tight. He pulled her close to him and shoved her up against a brick wall, back in the alley behind me. "RICHARD!"

"Get the hell away from her," I growled, my fist connecting to the side of his face. He let go of Kitten and dropped down to the concrete. Kitten leaned her head on my chest crying and grasped onto my jacket. I looked down at Johnny as I wrapped an arm around Kitten, and he groaned in pain. Blood flowed from his nose and I laughed to myself. He'd _enjoy_ having that in a cast.

* * *

So, even though Kori didn't appear at ALL in this chapter (that's a first) it's still pretty important. Except for Victor's section. That was pretty much a filler. And this chapter has some BBxTerra, but don't complain. I happen to be a much bigger BBxT fan than BBxRae, to tell the truth. 

...and Robin was hot in TT Tokyo (and his eyes were oh so sexy, no? xD) And that's pretty much what his hair would look like in this fanfic--because the spikes are a turnoff.

Next Update: Chapter 24- Seventeen, September 27th


	24. Seventeen

**Dedication**: SEEEMOOOE -shot-

**Disclaimer:** Don't own TT.

* * *

My body left the state of sleeping and I rolled over. 

I fell to the floor.

'_Ow,_' I thought as I opened my eyes. I studied my surroundings. I was in the living room. I must've fallen asleep while watching _Adult Swim_ the night before. The TV was still on, some show with a blue colored blob-like creature walking around on it.

I got off the ground and went to sit down, stopping myself as I heard the doorbell ring. I looked at the clock on the cable box. It was 8:27AM. Who comes to the door that early? I sighed and made my way to the front hall, dragging my feet towards the doorway. As soon as I opened it, I felt the wind get knocked out of me.

And struggled to keep my footing, and held on tight to my "attacker". Her mess of auburn hair blocked most of my view. "Richard!" she squealed. I smiled and hugged her even tighter. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, Kor," I told her. She lifted her head up and delivered a small kiss to my cheek. I blushed as she began to look at me, skeptically.

"You grew," she concluded, nodding her head. After a moment, I realized she was right. On Monday, October 16th, 2006, the day I had met Kori, I was…5'3". My forehead was about level with her chin. Now it was at her nose. I must've grown around two inches.

I felt…really short. I was approximately 5'5". Kori, considering she didn't grow at all, would be 5'8", a clear three inches taller than me. That's…pathetic. She's so tall compared to me. It's like we clash. She's tall, I'm short. She has shiny, ruby hair, I have dark hair. Her eyes are bright and green, where mine are dull, pale blue, and lifeless. She has tan skin, where mine is pale.

"Yeah, I guess I did grow," I muttered as she buried her head back into my shoulder. We stayed like that for a while, just silently standing there as we hugged. We didn't stop until Alfred, who seemed to be _snickering,_ told us to come eat breakfast.

* * *

We moved stealthily down the hallway, Kori making many unnecessary spy-like movements. She slowly made her way down, her back pressed against the wall. She grabbed a doorknob and bit her lip. "Kori, is this—"

"Shh!" she silenced me, putting a finger up to my lips. We needed to go into her living room to get my birthday present. Kori turned the doorknob slowly and cracked the door open. She peeked inside and sighed. "Come." She opened the door all the way and pulled me in after her, closing the door after we entered.

Kori made her way across the room towards the shiny, wrapped box, I following behind her. She almost tripped on her way, but I put my arms around her waist before she hit the ground. "Thank you," she muttered as she stood up straight. She went to grab the box on the table but stopped and gasped when she heard the doorknob jiggling. She grasped my wrist and pulled me down under the table. We sat there, cramped up and hidden by the table cloth.

Light footsteps entered the room and I heard the sound of someone sitting on the couch. After a few moments, the phone rang. Kori jumped slightly and her head hit the top of the table. "Ow." She rubbed the top of her head and I snickered. She sent me a glare and I stopped.

The person in the room walked over and answered the phone with a "Hello?" It was a girl. The girl continued speaking, and after a few moments, Kori and I realized who it was. It was Kimi. Kori let out a sigh of relief. It was safe to get out. Kori pushed me off of her (it was _very_ cramped) and I rolled out from under the table. "Sorry Donna, hold on—uhm…Richard, why were you under the table?" Kimi asked, raising an eyebrow. I rubbed the back of my neck.

"Oh, just…you know, hangin'," I replied.

"Richard, your butt is in my face," Kori complained. She pushed my back and I rolled over onto my stomach. Kimi laughed. Kori came out from under the table and stood up. "Enjoying the floor?" I blushed and stood up.

"Why were you two hiding under the table?" Kimi asked again.

"We thought you were dad," Kori replied. Kimi laughed.

"Oh yeah, dad would kill you if he knew you brought your little boyfriend over here," Kimi commented. Kori blushed and shuffled her feet, while I turned away to hide my red face. "Oh snap!" Kimi brought the phone back to her ear. "Sorry Donna, my sister and her boyfriend were hiding under the table in my living room."

Kori grabbed the present off the table and began to drag me away out of the living room. "Come on," she muttered. I followed after and closed the door, but on my way out I heard the strangest words come out of Kimi's mouth.

"Yeah, her boyfriend's a hottie."

Was she talking about me?

* * *

Kitten entered my bedroom and screamed. "HEY!" I winced. She had the most annoying yell. Ever. She skipped across the room and fell onto my bed. Kori and I had recently returned from our…excursion, and now everyone was in my bedroom. And I thought it was cramped under the table.

Kori, Raven, Victor, Garfield, Kitten, Wally, Barbara, and even Wally's girlfriend, Jennifer, were all in my bedroom. It looked so weird. Everyone was so different looking, and it didn't seem that we'd all get along.

Beautiful, girly Kori was what looked like could be the most popular girl that every boy is in love with (that was true, actually) Reclusive, smart Raven looked as if she was your typical smart gothic girl. Athletic, strong Victor was your average football quarterback—way too popular and with a different girlfriend every week. Idiotic, scrawny Garfield looked like your average geek. He acted like it, too.

Obnoxious, flirty Kitten was the strangest one to fit into the group with her constant screaming and obviously fake blonde hair. Wally, the red-headed track runner with a laid-back, slightly girl crazy attitude. Barbara was popular and had the basic image of the girl loved by everyone. Jennifer, pink haired and wearing exotic clothes, mostly in black, stood out the most.

Then there was me. Over my life I had picked up a few words to describe myself from others. Stupid, unthoughtful, emotionless, frustrated, unhappy, and others were among them. But the one I seemed to get the most was "hot". Kori didn't seem to like that.

So far on my birthday, I had only been called one of those words so far. I was hoping that none of the others would come up.

"Richard, why are you so unhappy looking? It's your birthday!" So much for that. I turned to look at the person who made the comment.

"No reason, Jen, I was just thinking," I replied to her.

"He does that a lot," Garfield informed her, and she nodded. A knock sounded on the door and I turned my attention to it.

"Master Richard, Misses Raven and…friends," Alfred began. Raven shuddered. She didn't like Alfred calling her "Misses", but ever since she had moved in, he always referred to her as that. "There is dinner down in the kitchen." Victor and Garfield's eyes lit up and they turned to each other, grinning.

"Last one there is a rotten egg!" they shouted out, childishly as they ran off. Garfield dragged Raven after him and she let out a yelp. Wally got up and sprinted after them, and soon the girls did, too. I stood up and sighed, walking towards the kitchen. I saw Kori stop at the staircase and run back towards me, grabbing my hands.

"Come Richard, you do not wish to be an egg which is rotten!" she exclaimed, trying to pull me after her. I laughed.

"It's just a stupid game, Kori, it doesn't really matter. And now you're going to be a rotten egg with me," I replied.

"If it is such a stupid game, then why do you care so much about me being a rotten egg?" Kori asked. I smirked.

"I'm not kissing a rotten egg." Kori laughed and let go of my hands, racing off.

* * *

I watched my friends all stuff their faces with food like the pigs they are, surprised at the fact that they weren't fat. The only one of us who wasn't skinny was Victor, but that's only because he's built. Kori and Raven sat beside me, Raven with a half a slice of pizza still in front of her, where as Kori was almost done with her third.

"Richard, you do not seem to be eating. Is something wrong?" Kori asked, concerned. I shook my head.

"I'm fine," I replied as I picked up my pizza and took a bite. "See." Kori sighed.

"Perhaps you are troubled since you are the rotten egg?" she questioned. I laughed.

"No, it's not that, Kori. I told you, I'm fine," I reassured her, and she nodded returning to her pizza. Truthfully, something was bothering me. The words Garfield had told me during the past week mad me feel a bit bad for Raven. I knew she loved him. And he didn't know if he loved her.

I looked over toward him, sitting next to Raven. She was shaking her head in disapproval at his appetite. He and Victor could clean out my refrigerator easily. "Garfield, how can you eat _that_?" she asked as he stuffed tofu into his mouth. He swallowed and turned to her.

"It's good, try it!" He grabbed some in his hand and shoved it into her mouth. Her face went even paler than usually for a moment as she forced herself to chew it and swallow.

"That…was disgusting," Raven muttered, grabbing her cup of tea and taking a sip to wash out the horrid taste.

* * *

We all stared at the couple as they argued. It all started because a stupid comment by Garfield, and now they would both pay the price. Their shouts became louder and louder until finally, he exploded. "I hate you!" Garfield stormed out of the room in frustration.

Raven stood there in shock, watching his back as he retreated. A lone tear rolled down her cheek, until she broke down. She spun around and enveloped me into a hug as she cried onto my shoulder. I wrapped my arms around my best friend comfortingly. Raven never cried. "It's okay Raven…everyone has their relationship problems. I should know," I told her, muttering the last part more to myself. I'm the king of relationship problems.

"I love him…" I heard her sob quietly and I frowned.

"I…I know Rae…I know."

Garfield never returned, and the rest of the evening was pretty quiet. Nobody mentioned him, or the fight, and everyone made sure not to say anything to remind Raven of him. Raven barely spoke, too saddened by the argument to do pretty much anything. Almost everyone was asleep by midnight due to the fact that we weren't doing much.

_Almost_ everyone.

"Do you…do you think Raven and Garfield will mend their problems?" Kori questioned. I rolled over and squinted to see her in the darkness.

"Yeah I…I think so. They've been together now for a while. They're not gonna let one little argument ruin everything. I mean, look at us," I replied. Kori let out a quiet giggle. We were the "perfect" couple yet we'd had countless fights, half of which I could've avoided if I were a better person.

"And to think I was worried about _our_ relationship…" Kori muttered. I laughed.

"Yeah, your father would rip me to shreds if he were to walk in right now." Kori chuckled. We both knew Mr. Anders would probably rather have Kori sit at home all day alone and have no friends than go out with me. If he could, he'd probably forbid her from ever leaving the house.

"Well, I wouldn't blame him. Our um…current situation here is a bit…" She thought for a second for the right word to use. "Umm…well, close." I blushed and thanked the darkness. "Who knows what he might think we might do when there aren't other people in the room." She shook her head and laughed.

"Well…" I rolled over so I was on top of her. "Normally, we'd start with this." I gave her a quick kiss on the lips and she laughed.

"Richard, be serious."

"Well, if you really want—"

"Richard!" She slapped me playfully on the back of the head.

For a while we stayed like that, talking quietly and giggling, ignoring Kitten's complaints, until finally Kori passed out under me. I sighed and rolled over, going to sleep myself.

* * *

Richard's an oldie now xD But poor Richard...so unloved by Mr.Anders. The only one in that family it seems like that doesn't love him xD Next Mrs.Anders is gonna start hitting on him. OhGod.

And poor Ravie. The fight will be explaineded more in the next chapter.

Next Update: Chapter 26- The Chapter Which I Gotta Name, October 9th


	25. A Look Into the Past

**Disclaimer:** (xD I put "discalimer") I don't own Teen Titans. Or iPods. But I want a green one...

**Dedication: **FallenTeenHearts because she's like...one of my favorite reviewers. They always mentions specific things she likes about the chapter, not the completely annoying and generic "gr8 chapter update soon". Happy belated birthday.

* * *

_Kori looked at me, eyes narrowed. Her mouth was curved into a frown as I spoke. "Look, Kori, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that." I sighed and looked down._

_"No Richard, you're not sorry. You're never sorry!" she yelled at me, tears streaming down her face._

_"Kori, I—"_

_"Richard I hate you!" She ran off and I stood there, in shock._

_"…no…"_

I shot up in bed and gasped as I saw my friends staring at me. Raven and Victor were looking up from on the floor, the others still asleep. Kori was looking at me from her position next to me. "Richard, are you okay?" she asked. "You were screaming." I turned to her and hugged her, my head buried in the curtain of her hair. She wrapped her arms around me in return.

I just cried quietly onto her shoulder and attempted to calm down my breathing. My heart pounded against my chest and my shoulders were shaking. Kori whispered comforting words in my ear in an attempt to make me feel better. I embraced her tighter and I finally felt my breathing return to normal.

"Kor can handle this," Victor muttered as he laid back down on the floor, Raven doing the same. It was quiet for a few minutes, until I finally spoke.

"You said…you said that you hated me," I muttered.

"Richard…you know I could never hate you," Kori assured me.

"I did something bad…really bad. I hurt you Kori. I was just…so angry. I'm not sure why. But I'm afraid that…someday I might do that to you." I sighed and looked down. Kori pulled out of the hug and kept her hands gripping tightly on my shoulders.

"Richard, I do not think there is anything that you could ever do to make me hate you. I love you…so much that…I don't think it is possible for me to—" I cut her off instantly with a kiss, and she stiffened up due to shock, but after a moment she relaxed. She wrapped her arms back around me and kissed back, passionately. After a minute we broke apart for air.

We just stared at each other for a little bit, until she giggled and pulled me down onto the bed. I almost screamed as she grabbed me, but she slapped her hand over my mouth. I laughed when she let go and turned to look at her, our faces close together. I leaned over and gave her another kiss.

We didn't get much sleeping done that night.

* * *

The music from my headphone pounded in my ear as I put the volume up on my iPod. I stuffed the small, black music player back into my pocket and glanced at the girl next to me. She had the other headphone stuffed into her ear as she hummed sweetly along to the music. Her fingers occupied themselves by twirling around my dark hair, which was a bit annoying, but I'd have to deal with it. "Kori?"

"Mm?" Kori questioned.

"You do realize this isn't exactly the kind of song you'd hum happily to, right?" I told her, raising an eyebrow. Kori nodded.

"The music isn't what's making me happy…" she muttered, and I felt a light blush form on my cheeks. I put both my arms around her and pulled her over closer to me, causing her to let out a little yelp of surprise. She fell back onto my lap and giggled as she pulled herself up. She smiled at me and I leaned in closer to her. Our lips were just about to touch and…

"Richard!" Garfield whined, causing Kori and I to pull away from each other, blushing madly. I turned to look at Gar, my hands still resting on Kori's waist.

"What?" I asked the blonde, agitated. He sighed.

"Can you…tell Raven that…I'm sorry?" he asked, looking down towards his feet. I rolled my eyes.

"Why don't you tell her yourself," I snapped, remembering the fight from the day before. Garfield had begun getting over flirty with the other girls at my party, and Raven got annoyed, so she began to yell at him. Gar began to argue that he could flirt with anyone he wanted, and Raven didn't agree with that. So it turned into an insult war. I wasn't forgiving Garfield too easily. Raven was right to be mad at him.

Garfield sighed. "Do you…know where she is?" I shrugged and told him to get lost. He frowned and walked away, into the school. I turned back to Kori, who was shaking her head in disapproval at me.

"Raven deserves better than him," I explained. Kori sighed.

"Maybe…she doesn't want someone better. When you love someone…it doesn't matter how good of a person they may be. It doesn't matter what they may do or say to you. And it definitely doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. If…you truly love someone…nothing else matters," she explained. I nodded and then it hit me. Garfield and Raven weren't the only ones she was talking about. I blushed and she smiled at me. I smiled back and leaned in to get that kiss I had been ready for a few moments before.

Kori wrapped her arms around my neck and planted her lips on mine; giggling just a bit before they made impact. I pulled her closer to me and I leaned back, expecting to hit the tree. Instead, I fell back onto the grass. Kori pulled back for a second and laughed before going back in for another kiss. Several other students walked by, most of them laughing at us, while some just glared. One boy even kicked me in the head. Somebody's a little too jealous…

We continued to kiss until the bell for homeroom rang, and we shot up in surprise. Kori looked at me, horrified. "We're late!" she exclaimed, getting to her feet. She grasped my wrist tightly and ran into the building, dragging me in after her.

* * *

I walked out of Ms. Rouge's room and groaned. Kori and I had gotten detention for being late for class. Although, explaining why we were late was much worse. We had to tell Ms. Rouge that we had been kissing in front of the whole class. It was…embarrassing.

"I shall meet you by the front doors!" Kori chimed as she we went separate ways towards our lockers. I walked over towards mine, across the way from the art room, and opened it up. I sighed as I pulled out my homework, and slammed it shut. I smiled as I looked at the construction paper taped onto my locker. It had been decorated for my birthday. Many signatures and notes were written all over it from various students, but the largest one, right in the middle, caught my eye.

It was written in frilly script writing with a green pen, and all the forms of punctuation were replaced with little hearts. My smiled grew as I began to read the message written:

_Richard-_

_I wish you have the best birthday ever, and if it is not, I do hope that it is at least close to being so. Ever since we have met, I have always hoped for you to be happy. Truthfully, I hoped for a lot of things when I met you._

_I thought I was foolish when the thought of the "going out" with you entered my head. I never dreamed that you had felt the same for me, and was shocked to know that you had had the feelings way before I did. True, I did have a small crush on you since the very first day of knowing you, but I did not even realize how much I really cared until you got hurt. Seeing you in the condition you were in was so heartbreaking, and at the moment I just wanted to kiss you._

_Even after we had gotten extremely close, I felt ridiculous thinking about you the way I did. I was convinced that you would never feel anything more than mere friendship for me. Those few, awkward kisses we had shared always made me a bit sad, knowing that none of them really meant anything, and each time you would kiss me, I would fear it would be the last._

_I would never change anything that has happened between us, even the bad things, because I know that they had all happened for a reason. If we had never had that fight on my birthday, you would not have made that picture you had; instead you probably would have just bought some really expensive jewelry or something. And just so you know, I love that painting more than any piece of jewelry that you could give me. When you had given it to me, I had realized that…maybe we were not "just friends" and perhaps we could be…more._

_The painting is still hanging up in my room. It is on my ceiling, above my bed, so I can look at it every morning, and I think about you right when I open my eyes. I think about a lot of things that have happened between us, the good, and the bad. But I will admit, the thing I think of most is the day of the ski trip. The day that you saved my life. The day you had told me what you really felt for me. The day that I got that one real, first kiss I had been waiting so long for._

_I fear that if I write much more, that there will be no more space for anyone else to wish you a happy birthday in. And you probably will not read this anyway. But, I think you already know what I am trying to say in all this rambling. I love you Richard Grayson, and I always will. No matter how much you think you are unworthy._

_-Kori ♥_

Next to it, written in small print letters, a little note was scribbled down. I smiled.

_You are worth more than you will ever know._

* * *

I laughed as I listened to Kori's miserable tale. We had somehow gotten onto the topic of Kori's pasts relationships. All of which were with perverted, rich, Italian boys who were picked out by her father. The most recent story was of a boy named Tony, who had at first, seemed pretty nice. But he didn't like taking things very slowly in their…"relationship", and made many attempts to kiss her.

"So then," Kori continued, "The stupid _clorbag _suggested we go for a walk in the gardens nearby. Father made me go along with him. While in the garden, my shoe came untied, so I bent down to tie it. So while I am bending down, he flips up my skirt." She shook her head at me as I chuckled. "And so I turned around to look at him, and I am screaming at him, and afterwards, all he does is lean over and kiss me." She put her palm to her forehead and rolled her eyes. I heard her mutter a swear and I raised my eyebrows.

"Did Kori Anders just curse?" I questioned, grinning. She hit me playfully in the shoulder.

"You are a bad influence," she reasoned, and I laughed. I didn't have the best mouth. "Ok, so tell me about _your_ past relationships." Kori sat up straight and crossed her legs, waiting for me to begin.

"Well…" I ran a hand through my hair and sighed. "In the seventh grade, Barbara Gordon asked me out." Kori cringed slightly. "I said yes since, back then…I wasn't the kind of person to be able to turn someone down." Kori rolled her eyes. "But…after a few days, I broke up with her, since she never left me alone. She wasn't letting me get away though. See…she had told her best friend Cassie that she would have her first kiss with me. And…she did. When I broke up with her, she just grabbed the collar of my shirt and flung herself at me."

Kori laughed. "Sounds like Barbara," she muttered. I nodded.

"In the eighth grade…I went with Raven to the formal, to avoid any other girl from taking me…especially Barbara. But…for some reason…while at the dance…Raven…kissed me. We try to forget that that ever happened. She was just confused."

Kori nodded and I continued on with my stories.

"Then…ninth grade. Umm…" I thought for a moment. "Oh yeah." I grimaced. "This is one…I _really_ don't like thinking about. Back before Kitten started going out with Fang…she used to follow me around. A lot." I could tell by the look on Kori's face she wasn't liking this story already. "So one day…she kinda pinned me up against the wall when I was late for class, since no one else was around, and she kissed me. I ran into the nearest bathroom and washed my mouth out after that."

Kori put her hands over her mouth to hold in her laughter.

"In tenth grade…I was working on this project with a girl named Crystal Garette. She moved later on that year. But, I was busy reading in the textbook to get information for the project. Crystal was just kind of sitting there, twirling her black hair around her fingers. She told me to close my eyes, and I was like 'why?' and she just told me 'you'll see'. So…I stupidly closed my eyes. And she leans over and gives me a kiss. I shoved her off immediately and I was like 'what the hell?'"

Kori laughed.

"Here, let me show you what she looked like." I got up and walked across my room over towards a book shelf. I bent down and pulled a year book off the bottom shelf, and sat back down on my bed next to Kori. I opened the old book from the 2001-2002 school year and flipped through the pages. I finally found her picture, situated right next to mine. I pointed to her, and Kori snorted. She had obnoxiously long black hair that must've reached her thighs, and dark brown eyes that didn't shine. Her smile was much too large and fake, making her look like a total bimbo.

Kori pushed my hand away, revealing my own picture. Kori giggled. In the picture was a small boy, with extremely messy, long black hair. His pale blue eyes didn't sparkle like the others', and the smile was just enough so the photographer would take the picture. On top of the boy's nose was a pair of glasses. Kori turned to me and grinned, making me blush. I had ditched my glasses long ago and traded them in for contacts, but Kori hadn't known that.

"You looked so cute!" Kori concluded, giggling. My face turned redder and I grabbed the yearbook and slammed it shut. The golden "Jump City Middle School" letters on the cover shined in the light that came in through my window and I smiled slightly, remembering the old school. Kori threw her arms around me again and I struggled to escape. She rested her head on my shoulder and whispered in my ear. "You are still that cute."

* * *

Major KorixRichard fluff chapter :D Yay fluff. And we got a little insight on what happened between Gar and Rae, AND we get to learn a bit about the past um..."romances" of our favorite couple xD And oh God was that letter on Richard's locker romantic, jeez. I'm such a saaaap.

Me go sleep now. It's 1:45AM. Technically, in my time zone, this update is an hour and 45 minutes late. But shush.

Next Update: Chapter 26 (I still can't figure out why on my computer I have 26 chapters, but on fanfiction I have 25) Idunno, October 16th


	26. Oh, It's ON

**Dedication: ** Dark's Soul Mate. Happy Birthday :B

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Teen Titans.

* * *

I sat at my desk, staring out the small window. My feet kicked under the chair, my sneakers scraping against the carpet. Raindrops ran down the glass, leaving trails of water down it. Thunder roared just seconds after a lightning flashed, lighting up the entire sky.

I heard a yawn from behind me and I spun around in my rolling computer chair. Kori lay on my bed, her eyes closed. Her maroon hair was fanned out on my pillows and her legs were tucked close to her body. She lifted her eyelids for a moment to glace at me for a moment with her mint eyes, and closed them again. "Richard…I am…excruciatingly bored," she sighed.

"I'm sorry Kor. We'll do something after I finish this homework…although I don't think we can do much due to the fact that it's pouring outside," I told her. I looked back down at the papers in front of me. English was never my specialty. I felt footsteps approaching behind me and looked up to see Kori looking down from over my shoulder.

"Perhaps you would like me to get friend Raven so she can—"

"No," I cut my girlfriend off. She frowned. "She probably doesn't want to be bothered. When people are heartbroken…they like to be alone." I looked away to the side and sighed. I felt Kori's hand grip tightly onto my shoulder.

"You are no the only on who has experienced the feeling of heartbreak." I frowned as silence came between us. Kori's hand eventually slid off my shoulder and she folded her arms. I turned my head slightly and looked up at her.

"I'm sorry…" I muttered, looking back down. The silence returned for just a moment, but Kori broke it.

"For what?" she asked. Once again, the only sound that could be heard was the tapping of the raindrops on my window. I sighed.

"For…for everything, Kori." She looked at me, confused. "All the things I've done to you. Screaming at you over soccer. Getting mad because you called me 'friend'. Forgetting your birthday. Yelling at you because of something that wasn't even your fault…" I trailed off at that point. Remembering all the horrible things I had done made me want to slap myself.

"Richard…you need to stop regretting everything you had done in the past. There is nothing you can do to change them. And I don't want you to change them." I smiled slightly and pulled a paper out of my notebook.

"I know." I handed Kori the piece of orange construction paper and she gasped. It contained the letter which Kori had written on my locker two weeks ago. She let out a gasp and I saw her eyes sparkle.

"You…you kept the locker decorations?" I nodded.

"Just that one paper. It's the only important one." Kori's eyes began to water as she threw herself at me. I caught her in my arms as she hugged me tightly. Tears ran down her face, mirroring the rain on the window. I kissed her on the cheek, due to her head being buried into my shoulder, making her lips inaccessible. She lifted up her head and looked into me eyes, smiling.

A large flash of lightning lit up everything and thunder clapped loudly, causing Kori to jump. Suddenly, the dim lighting in my room went out. _'Not again.'_

* * *

I sat on my bed, flashlight in hand. I slid my thumb up, pushing the switch. The dim light turned on, lighting up the area around me. Kori crawled over closer towards me so she could see better. "When do you think the power will be returning?" she asked, wrapping her arms around me. The heat had gone off when the lights did, so the room was cold.

"I don't know," I replied. "Hopefully it won't be too long." Kori shivered a bit and I grabbed my blanket, pulling it up over her shoulders. In the dim light I could see her smile.

"Are you not also cold?" she questioned. I shook my head and she frowned. Bringing her hands up to her shoulders, she grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around the both of us. I sighed.

"I'm not cold." I brushed the blanket off my shoulder and it slid down my back onto the bed. Kori pouted. She grasped the blanket in her hand again and draped it over my shoulder. "Kori, I'm fine." She shook her head before resting it on my shoulder. I sighed and rolled my eyes. "You have to win, don't you?" Kori giggled and nodded.

"I do believe so," she replied. I felt her lips brush against my cheek and I wrapped an arm around her. "So…what do you suppose we do now?" I grinned.

"We could…tell scary stories," I suggested. I pulled the flashlight up below my chin and laughed. Kori snickered at me, punching me in the shoulder. "Ow…" I rubbed my shoulder, and Kori laughed harder.

"Weakling," she taunted. I narrowed my eyes and put the flashlight down, turning to look at her directly. Her bright green eyes narrowed and looked right into my icy gray blue ones.

"Is that a challenge, Ms. Anders?" I questioned, leaning forward slightly. Kori leaned even closer and grinned.

"Yes it is, Mr. Grayson."

"Oh…it's on." I lunged forward and tackled her down, and she gave out a small yell. I caught her in a headlock and rubbed my knuckles against her head. She shrieked with laughter and attempted to throw me off. "You're not getting away, Anders!"

"Richard…please…stop…!" she exclaimed. Her hand grabbed my wrist and threw it off. She tore away from my other arm, freeing herself. "You're going down!" She flew at me, knocking me off the bed. I laid on the floor, my legs still up with my feet resting on top of the bed. Kori was on top of me, her knees resting on my chest. Her face was dangerously close to mine, and she grinned. "Looks like I am the winner once again."

"Oh, I don't think so." I grabbed the sides of her face and pulled her into a kiss. After a moment, she gave in and kissed back, her hands behind me head, a few of her fingers twirling with my hair. The kiss soon became more intense, and we never noticed the lights coming back on. We stopped suddenly as we heard the door fly open.

Raven stood at the doorway, wide-eyed. Her mouth curved down a bit, forming a slightly disgusted look on her face. She shuddered a bit at the sight. A disheveled looking Kori on top of a shirtless me was not a normal sight. Raven coughed quietly and looked a bit to the side. "Uh…what's going on here…?"

"We were…wrestling," I replied, my face turning bright red. That sounded so wrong.

"Obviously," Raven commented, rolling her eyes. I shook my head and looked up to get a glimpse of Kori's pink-tinted face. Her quizzical expression showed that she didn't understand what Raven had been implying. I was thankful for that.

"Nothing…like that, Raven." Raven laughed slightly. "She just kinda…tackled me and we fell off the bed…in this position." She snorted.

"Yeah, but I think you had a shirt when you started." My face turned even redder, and Kori gave out a little nervous laugh. "Anyway, Alfred said McDonalds for dinner, since he doesn't feel like cooking." She laughed slightly. "What do you guys want?"

"Uhh…whatever. I don't really care." Raven rolled her eyes at my insufficient answer before looking towards Kori, who shook her head.

"I believe I shall return to my home for dinner tonight," Kori replied. Raven and I both looked at her like she was nuts.

"Kori…it's about 30 degrees outside, and its pouring rain," Raven deadpanned.

"You're not leaving until the weather clears up," I told her. Kori sighed and gave in, telling Raven to just get her some chicken nuggets. Raven left the room and Kori and I got up, not looking at each other. I pulled on my shirt and turned to her, biting my lip. "Um…yeah. I guess I'll…finish my homework now." Kori nodded.

"That would sound like a good idea," she muttered. "I shall…go inform my sister of my staying here due to the weather." She scurried out of the room to the nearest phone, and I slumped down at my desk and sighed. _'Nice going, Raven.'_

* * *

Kori sat on my bed, legs crossed as I finished up the last of my homework. She had a notebook resting in her lap, and her pencil moved swiftly all over the paper. It was quiet. We hadn't said much to each other since Raven had caught us on the floor earlier. It was too embarrassing. Out of the few things she had said to me since, one of them was that she'd be using the guest bedroom next to my own tonight. That didn't make me feel any better.

Kori sighed and closed the notebook, letting out a yawn. She stretched out her arms and looked over towards me. I turned around a bit more so we could look at each other more directly. "It is getting late. I think I shall go to sleep now." I just nodded in reply. Kori got up off the bed and walked over towards me, her pants now looking far too short on her when she stood. She had borrowed a pair of pajama pants from Raven, but the height difference made them come up a few inches above her ankles.

Kori placed the notebook and pencil back on my desk and I looked up at her. "Goodnight..." I whispered, and she smiled slightly. I wanted to lean up and kiss her, but I held back. Things were too awkward by now. Hopefully they'd be better by tomorrow. Kori gave me a small, weak hug before turning on her heel and leaving the room. I watched her leave and let out a sigh as the door closed, turning back to my work.

I hadn't gotten much done. I couldn't concentrate. I sighed and realized that I'd probably be able to finish it after a good night's sleep. I got up from my cheer and dragged my feet over towards the light switch. My finger flipped the switch down and the room became dark. I made my way to my bed and flopped down, looking at the ceiling.

The room was practically silent, the only noise coming from the soft taps of the raindrops on the roof. I sighed and looked around in the darkness. Something was missing. And I knew exactly what it was.

I got up from my bed and left the room, turning right. I walked towards the next room and opened the door, which was thankfully unlocked. I crept over towards the large bed in the room and sighed. "K-kori?" I questioned. The sleeping figure on the be opened it's eyes slightly, the bright green blazing in the darkness.

"Richard?" she asked. I nodded a bit. "What are you--?"

"I'm lonely," I replied, looking down towards my feet. I heard Kori giggle slightly and she moved over, patting the space next to her on the bed. I smiled and climbed up, lying down next to her. She wrapped her arms around my own and snuggled up close to me.

"You were not the only one who was lonely."

* * *

Kori once again was on my bed, waiting for me to complete my homework assignments, thankfully for the last time that weekend. She sighed and got up from her spot, moving about the room. The sights on my dresser seemed to have caught her eye.

I knew what she was looking at there without even turning my head. On the dresser were many picture frames, containing various photos. The oldest one was a picture of Garfield and Victor. Garfield must have been seven at the point, where Victor was 12. I was ten at the time, but I had been the one taking the picture. I remembered because my thumb was in it.

Next was one of me and Raven, when we were eleven. It was the summer before sixth grade, and we were sitting on the front steps of her apartment building. Angela, Raven's mother, had taken it, saying she wanted to remember how much we would change during the sixth grade. The picture made me laugh since Raven had been wearing pink that day. So what if it was just her bra strap?

There was a group picture in the middle of everything, with the five of us, Gar, Vic, Tara, Rae, and I, all sitting on the beach. It was from before we had met Kori. Vic had programmed a timer on the camera to get us all in there. The youngest, Garfield, sat in the middle, with Tara and Raven to either side of him. Tara had her arms looped around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder, where he had his arm around Raven's waist. She wasn't too happy with that. The fourteen year old me was behind Gar and Rae, my elbows resting on their shoulders and me face on my heads. Next to me was Victor, his hands on mine and Tara's shoulders.

Then there was one of Tara alone. It was the last picture that she had ever taken, her tenth grade class picture. She had longer hair back when that picture had been taken, halfway down her back, and she had curled it slightly. Her bright blue eyes looked even bluer thanks to the navy background.

The last picture was very recent. On a snowy day, Kori had dragged me to the park since she had to go with her brother, and she didn't want to have to go alone. At one point she got me to sit on the swing, with her behind me, and took the picture. She was pretty good at taking a picture when you can't even see what the picture is of. I was smiling pretty big in that picture, although compared to Kori's…no contest.

I heard Kori squeal and glass shatter on the ground. I spun around in my chair and stared as Kori bent down on the ground. "Oops…" I heard her mutterer, and I sighed. Her hands brushed away some glass, but then the noises stopped, and she was looking at something. "Richard…" She pulled a photo out of the frame from behind the picture of us, a slice in it from the broken glass. "Who are these people?"

I looked at the ripped photograph and my eyes widened. The smiling faces of people I hadn't seen in years looked back at me. Although I hadn't seen them in so long, I could remember them perfectly.

How could I forget?

* * *

Take a wiiiild guess who the picture is of xD And yeah. Richard and Kori were..."wrestling"...in the dark. That is so wrong xDDDDD

Hmm...can somebody give me a bit of info on Robin's past, yo. I've hear...multiple stories of what exactly happened to his parents. Someone wanna clear it up for me? And does anyone actually know what his parents look like and what their names are? That'd be nice. I need it all for a later chapter.

Next Update- October 23rd: Chapter 27, Family Reunion


	27. Family Reunion

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Teen Titans and I'm getting sick of writing this.

**Dedication:** Reviewer 325. I'm too lazy to go check who it is.

* * *

I stared at the picture in my girlfriend's hands. She stood next to me, holding it in view for both of us. I brought one of my shaky hands over to hold the photo, my palm on top of Kori's own hand. I ran one of my fingers across the slice in the photograph. The three people in the picture were smiling so wide, and all their eyes shone brightly. I pulled a piece of glass that was sticking into the photo out. My face reflected in the glass. My face showed the exact opposite of the ones in the photograph. My extremely dull blue eyes and frown didn't seem anyway alike the faces of the people. The irony is that one of those people was me.

I was in the center of the picture, standing there and beaming happily at the camera. My eyes were a deep shade of blue, shining like a clear ocean at sunset. Nowadays, my pale eyes shining was a rare sight. The blue color had practically been washed out.

On the sides of me were two adults, smiling just as much. One was a tall man, the other a tall woman. The woman had long, wavy, chestnut hair that cascaded down her back and ended a bit below her waist. She also had the same bright, blue eyes as mine once were. The man had short black hair, but was just as messy as mine was most of the time. His eyes weren't the same dazzling blue as mine and the woman's. They were a dark brown. They were my parents.

"R-Richard? Please, are you…alright?" I looked up at Kori and shook my head. I felt her wrap her arms around me comfortingly. But I didn't want to be comforted. I wanted to be alone. Too bad I couldn't tell her that nicely.

"Get out," I muttered, not even looking at the red head. I knew what her face looked like without taking a glance. She was frowning, I knew that, and her emerald eyes would be filled with confusion. By now I knew the "faces of Kori" and when she would make them.

"W-what?" Kori stuttered, unsure of whether I had rudely told her to leave or not. I could've prevented the dreadful events to happen after right then. I could've saved both our hearts from snapping in half. But I didn't.

"I said _get out_." This time I said it more sternly, looking into her eyes. They widened at my harshness, and their color seemed to fade. The bright shining jewels became almost as gray and uninviting as mine.

"Richard, perhaps you would like to—"

"_Perhaps_ I would like you to leave!" I cut her off, mocking her way of speaking. "I don't _need_ your concern! I'm fine! There isn't always something wrong with me! Just because I'm not happy every single moment of my life like you doesn't mean that I have problems!" Kori was taken aback by my explosion. But her shocked expression soon turned into one of anger, and she narrowed her eyes, poking a finger into my chest.

"Apparently, you know nothing, because I am clearly not happy every moment of my life! Most of the time I am sad due to reasons _you_ have caused! I also have problems, but when I have them, I do not yell and scream at whoever is attempting to make me feel better! I _like_ being comforted when I am sad! Of course _somebody_ never seems to come do that, until a while later when _he_ realizes she's not going to just come crawling back to him!" Kori seethed. Tears were streaming down her red face.

"Well, maybe we're _different_, ever think of that? No, because you're too busy in 'Laalaa Land' to realize that!"

"Maybe it is you who does not realize that it is the differences that I like so much! I would not want to change you! Because then I would not be loving the real Richard Grayson, just the man I forced him into being! And right not, I am thinking that I don't love Richard Grayson anymore!" Her words hit me like a telephone pole to the head and my eyes widened my voice softening as I spoke now.

"Kori…wait—"

"Now you are regretting what you did, but not until after you realize that you went to far, like always! And do not think that pulling me into some deep, passionate kiss and saying you love me six thousand times is going to make it all better! This is not a fairy tale Richard…you do not always get your happy ending you are hoping for." She turned on her heel and stormed out the door, slamming it on her way out.

I slumped down onto the floor, my head in my hands. I had just severely pissed off my girlfriend—well, exgirlfriend. I sighed and shook my head. No matter how much I hated admitting it, she had been right. I never fixed things until she got to the point where her heart was split into two. Not to mention my own heart. I wanted to forget this whole thing happened, that I'd wake up tomorrow and Kori'd come twirling in, happy as ever. But that wasn't going to happen. Just as she said, we aren't characters in some fairy tale. People in love never just forget everything that happened in the story, get married, and live happily without problems for the rest of their lives—especially not at 16 like in those Disney movies.

In real life, all relationships have their share of problems, some worse than others. My own problem continued to swirl through my head, haunting me. Kori Anders had broken up with me. A normal teenage guy would be sad for about twelve minutes, and then go out and find himself a new girlfriend. But my feelings for Kori were not those of the average teenage guy's. I didn't date her because I thought "she's hot". True, she was gorgeous, but I liked _her_, not her appearance. To say I liked her would be wrong, though. I _loved_ her. And not some stupid teenage love. I was seriously, deeply, head-over-heels for Kori Anders.

But she didn't feel the same for me anymore.

* * *

I laid on my bed, motionless. I opened my left eye for a moment, squinting so I could just see how much time had passed. It was 1PM. I had been up for hours, due to the fact that I couldn't sleep at all. But I didn't want to get up. Why bother? I wasn't hungry, and I had no plans for today—at least not anymore. I was originally going to go take Kori to see some movie in the theaters, but…that obviously wasn't happening.

I heard the door open and Raven peeked her head in. Her concerned, indigo eyes could be seen behind her purple hair. "Can I…come in?" she asked, biting her bottom lip, almost afraid I would lash out at her. I mumbled a "yes" to her, but it was muffled by the pillow, and sounded more like and "mmph". She pushed the door open all the way and sat down on the bed beside me.

She fidgeted with the hem of her skirt with her pale hands, afraid to speak. She obviously knew something was up. She sighed and looked down at me, closing her dark eyes for a moment. She opened them back up again and spoke. "What happened yesterday? And don't say nothing, because I saw Kori and she looked pissed," Raven questioned. I sighed and pulled myself, rolling over so I was sitting up. I looked down towards my blankets, avoiding eye contact.

"I…I really screwed up, Rae," I informed her. She placed her hand under my chin and lifted my head up, looking me in the eye. She motioned for me to elaborate. "I…I told Kori to get out, because I wanted to be alone. But…she was trying to comfort me instead, so I got angry at her. So we got into this big fight, and, she mentioned how I always screw up, but I don't realize it and try to make it better until she gives me the hint that I've gotta work to get her back. And that same thing happened." I sighed. "But this time…I don't think I'm going to be getting her back, no matter what I do."

"Richard…I doubt that. Kori's crazy for you," Raven tried to reason. I shook my head.

"Not…not anymore," I told her. "Yesterday she…she said she didn't love me anymore. I…I think she really meant it. I think I finally tore her heart to pieces." Raven frowned and looked down, silence reigning over our conversation. After a minute, Raven leaned over and held me tightly. I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her in return. I could really use a hug right now.

"Richard…you'll get her back," Raven whispered into my ear. I frowned. I wasn't quite sure of that. "Trust me, Richard. I know you will. You'll find a way, I promise. I know you, enough that I could call you my brother, and I know that you're smart and you'll figure out some way to get her back." I squeezed harder, and Raven shifted her position a bit.

"Raven…since when are you so comforting?" I asked. She shrugged a bit, letting out a little sigh.

"I guess…when you've had your heart broken, you get good at helping fix others'," she replied. I sighed and let go of Raven, flopping down onto my bed. She gave me another concerned look.

"Then why am I so bad at it?" I questioned, frustrated. Raven just shrugged again.

"Maybe because you don't normally let anyone help you with your own problems. I'm shocked that you haven't sent me out of here yet. Normally you like to sulk alone." I groaned. That was the reason I was in this whole mess in the first place. Raven frowned and got up, heading towards the door. "She still loves you, Richard, I'm sure of it." She made her way out the door, closing it silently. I ran my fingers through my hair and sighed. Raven was probably right. But she probably still wouldn't Love me for long. I was going to have to fix things up soon.

* * *

For the next few days, eye contact between Kori and I was rare, and when it happened, it only lasted for a second or two. We barely spoke together, only when we had to. Lunch time had to be the worst time of the day. Kitten sat next to me, constantly pestering me with questions as to what was wrong with everyone. Kori was on the other side of her, silent. Across from me, Victor shook his head at his surroundings. Beside him, Garfield and Raven didn't speak or look at each other, besides the quick, sneaky glances Gar made out of the corner of his eye every once in a while.

Whenever Kori was making her way down the hall, I'd make sure not to walk close to her, and she did the same. We needed to stop avoiding each other, but neither of us wanted to give in first. If one of us made a move, we'd prove the other one right. We were both to stubborn to let the other win.

Friday seemed like it would start out like any other day. I rolled out of my bed and quickly pulled on my clothes while the sound of knocking on my door filled my ears. I ran to the door and pulled it open, surprised to see Raven not there, just Kori. "Raven's sick," she informed me in as few words as possible. I nodded and followed her as she went down the stairs. We left the mansion and walked silently towards school.

I stared at her hand, inches away from my own. Her nails were a dark cherry color and an assortment of bracelets were sitting on her wrists, peaking out from beneath her orange sweater sleeve. Beads of various autumn colors like maroon and brown hit against each other, making soft clocking sounds.

I reached out my hand and grabbed hers. I felt her stiffen up and I squeezed tighter. She relaxed her fingers and loosely held on. I glanced up at her face. She was shaking her head slowly, her ruby hair flying around a bit. Her cheeks were flushed and I could see the faintest smile on her face.

"Umm…Kori," I began. Kori nodded and signaled for me to continue. I gulped and went on. "I—"

"Hey, look who's here. Kori and Richard. Long time no see." Kori and I spun around to see the source of the voice. Fang. Kori gasped and wrapped her arms around my waist, pressing herself against me. I put my arms around her and glared at Fang.

"What do you want?" I snapped. He grinned and took a step closer to us, and I stepped back, Kori following suit.

"Oh, nothing much. Just wanted to have a nice little chat," Fang replied. The malicious grin stayed on his face, and I raised an eyebrow. He shoved his hand into his pocket and too another step closer, and I backed up some more. He had led us into an alley. It was a trap. "Oh, and get a little revenge." His hand came out of his pocket, but it wasn't empty like it was when he stuffed it in there.

This time he held a gun.

* * *

You're all going to hate me for making Richard and Kori break up xD But don't worry, they will get back together. As you can tell, at the end of this chapter they seem to be atleast friendly towards each other. I actually had fun writing the break-up xD (because Richard getting his heart broken is so fun to write -shot-) And Fang is BACK. This is probably the last we'll see of him, but it's importante. -Spanish'd-

THIS CHAPTER SO WASN'T PUT UP LATE.

Next Update: Chapter 28- Untitled, October 30th


	28. Richard and Kori vs Fang: Two

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Teen Titans.

**Dedication:** Kellogs. (the cereal company)

* * *

Kori screamed at the sight of the gun. The shrill sound filled the air, and I pulled her head into my chest, muffling her screaming. She struggled to get away, but I held her head in place. He screams died down, but my sweatshirt began to have a wet spot due to tears streaming down her face.

I turned my attention back to Fang, who held the gun in both hands, aiming it at me. The sleek, silver weapon shined in the bright sunlight, just like the evil glistening in his eye. "Where the hell did you get that thing?!" I questioned him.

"That's none of your business," he snapped. "Any last requests before…you know." He grinned. I narrowed my eyes.

"Just this." I dropped Kori and ran towards Fang, punching him in the stomach. Fang stumbled and fell onto the ground, the gun flying out of his hands. Kori slowly crawled over to it, but I stopped her. "Stay out of this! I don't want you getting hurt!"

Fang got up and charged towards me, his fist making contact with my jaw. I fell onto the side of a building, clutching my jaw. Fang laughed cruelly, and I kicked him in the shin. He let out a quiet "ow" and tired to punch me again. I ducked and his hand went right into the brick wall. He howled in pain as blood flowed from his knuckles and down his arm.

I ran towards the back of the alley over towards Kori. "Come on, let's get out of here!" I ordered her. She grabbed my hand and got up off the ground. We only got a few steps before Fang shoved her down to the ground. The blood from his hand was smeared onto her neck where he had grabbed her. "Kori!"

Fang's grip on her neck tightened a bit. "If this is what I've gotta do to get rid of Grayson…" he whispered. "I'm willing to make the sacrifice." Kori's eyes were wide and fearful, more tears running down her cheeks. She whimpered quietly as Fangs fingers dug into her skin, choking her.

I stood still watching in horror. I couldn't move. _'Save her, idiot!'_ my thoughts screamed at me. Kori's gaze drifted over to me, and she forced out as much as she could say in a raspy whisper. "Rich…ard…help." I snapped out of my trance and ran over towards Fang and Kori, grabbing him by the neck.

"How do you like it bitch?!" I screamed, throwing him across the alley. Kori put her hands on her chest, breathing heavily. She sent me a faint smile, and I smiled back at her. I suddenly felt a fist hit me on the side of the face, my head throbbing in pain. My ears rung and the side of my face and some of my hair was covered in the blood still coming from Fang's knuckles.

I punched him back, hitting him in the shoulder. He put his left hand up and grabbed it, trying to ignore the pain. He immediately sent a blow to my stomach; knocking me down. I held myself up on all fours, my stomach in severe pain. I coughed and out came blood, a nasty metallic taste forming in my mouth. I began to breathe heavily, putting my hand over my chest. My heart beat fast and felt like it would explode.

Fang took the opportunity to run towards the gun, but was stopped by a kick in the side. He fell down towards the ground and looked up at his attacker. "Do. Not. Hurt. Him," Kori seethed. His eyes widened and he pulled himself up, looking her in the eye.

"You're going to regret doing that, cutie," he threatened, swinging his arm at her face. She dodged his punch and he continued to send blows at her. She continued to dodge them until he aimed lower, and punched her in the ribs. She fell down onto the ground, holding her ribs in pain. "Seems as if you got worse than you were. Last time you dislocated my jaw." Kori scowled at him.

"You do not seem to have changed since our last encounter! You are still a cruel, heartless—" He slapped her across the face, and she brought her hand up to her cheek, wincing in pain.

"Shut up, bitch."

I wanted to yell at Fang, but the immense pain prevented that. "You leave…her…alone," I managed to get out, just above a whisper. Fang turned around and balled his hands into fists, ready to attack. I narrowed by eyes and sent a kick towards him, but he jumped out of the way. He grabbed my sweatshirt hood and pulled on it, but I unzipped it and pulled myself out of it. Fang threw it across the alley and I kicked him again and he fell down onto the ground.

His hand reached forward and grasped the gun on the ground in front of him. "That wasn't very smart," he gloated. '_Oh shit.'_ Fang got up to his feet and aimed the gun at me. His fingers prepared themselves to pull the trigger. "Bye-bye." I closed my eyes, ready for the worst.

"NO!" Kori's scream was louder than the gunshot. I felt hands grab my waist and pull me down onto the ground. After a moment, I opened my eyes. Kori was under me, having pulled me out of the way of getting shot. Her eyes were wide and fearful. "Richard…you are safe," she breathed out. Tears ran down her face.

"Not for long he isn't!" Fang exclaimed, firing another bullet from the gun. I rolled out of the line of fire, holding on tightly to Kori, causing her to move along with me. My arm scraped against the concrete, and I bit my bottom lip to prevent myself from yelling in pain. Blood rushed from the scrape, but I couldn't worry about that now. Fang let out a frustrated growl. "Hold still!" He shot again, and Kori and I once again avoided the attack. I ran behind him and shoved him up against a wall. The gun flew out of his hands for the second time, landing somewhere on the ground.

Fang thrashed at me, knocking me down. I pulled myself up to my knees and noticed the gun, less than a foot away from me. I reached out and grabbed it, hesitantly. I aimed it towards Fang, trying to keep it steady in my shaky hands. Kori's eyes widened when she realized what I was doing. "Richard, no," she whispered, crawling closer to me.

I steadied my hold on the gun. "Richard, you better not." I could end this all right now. I had the opportunity. All I needed to do was pull the trigger and it would be all over. But I couldn't do it. But why?

Fang turned around and looked at me, his eyes going wide as saucers. "Richard, _don't_!" That was why. _She_ didn't want me to. _She_ couldn't bear to watch me shoot him. Her vivid eyes, hidden beneath her ruby hair, were wide. She bit her lower lip and tears ran down her face.

"Please…" she breathed out. She put her soft hands on top of my own. "I…I do not want…the one that I…l-love…" She wrapped her arms around me. "To be a murderer." She _loved _me. After what I had done, she still could not make herself stop loving me. What she has written on my locker was true. I _was _worth it to her. Only someone who loved me a lot could deal with what I did.

The gun slipped from my hands and I sighed. I put my arms around Kori and held her tightly, wishing I could stay like this forever and never let go. She needed to know that I loved her still, and I'd do anything to get her back.

Fang advanced towards us, picking the gun off the ground before I could stop him. "You're so soft," he mocked. He put the gun up to my head. "Say goodnight."

"FANG STOP!" Kori screamed. He lowered the gun a bit and glared at her. "Richard spared your life…it is only fair that you spare his." Fang sighed and dropped the gun. He stepped on it, crushing it under his shoe. He grabbed Kori's arm and pulled her up towards him, grinning. His lips crashed down upon hers and she struggled to free herself. But he held on to her tightly, not letting her go.

My hands turned into fists and my knuckles went white as I watched in anger and disgust. He slinked his arms around her waist and she shoved him in the chest, but he still held on. Her eyes cast their gaze down at me, pleading for my help. I knew if I interfered I might endanger us again, so I sighed and watched as he kissed her in horror.

He finally broke the kiss and his smile grew. "You're lucky you're cute," he told the redhead. He threw her down on the ground, and she landed hard. Fang grinned and walked away, out of the alley. Kori spit multiple times, muttering disgusted comments, and I crawled over to her.

"Kor…you okay?" I asked her. I pulled her up to a sitting position and she nodded.

"Yes…but…you are not," she whispered. She grabbed my arm and frowned. Blood was still flowing out of the gash on my arm. I shuddered slightly at the site of it. Kori bit her lip and sighed, pulling off her orange sweater. I raised an eyebrow at her. "Hold this." I grabbed the sweater and clutched it in my hand, still looking at her questionably.

She pulled off her maroon tank top, and my eyes widened. "What are you--?!?" She pressed her finger over my mouth to silence me. She began wrapping the tank top around my injured arm, while I fought not to look at Kori's exposed chest. Her lacey, pink bra did _not_ cover much.

Her breasts were _not _small—although you could see that even when she wore a shirt (not that I was looking…) They seemed to be popping out of the bra. I mentally slapped myself, knowing I shouldn't be thinking the way I was. Damn male hormones.

Kori let out a frustrated growl and pulled out her ponytail. She tied the tanktop together, securing it to my arm with her brown hair tie. She nodded in approval and reached out her hand.

"Sweater," she said simply. I handed her the orange sweater and she pulled it over her head. The sweater didn't cover up much more than the bra did, though. It was meant to have a shirt underneath. She looked down at her chest and blushed. "I feel…indecent." I looked around and saw my sweatshirt at the end of the alley.

I got up and walked towards it, plucking it off the ground. I walked back over towards Kori and handed the sweatshirt towards her. "Here." She put the sweatshirt on and zipped it up all the way. It was a little big on her, causing me to let out a small laugh. Anything of mine being big on her just sounded weird.

"Thank you." Kori smiled and hugged me, squishing my hurt arm.

"Argh! Kori, you're squishing my arm!" Kori pulled away, her face red.

"Sorry!" She looked down towards the ground, embarrassed. I smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at me, confused.

"Uh…thank you," I told her. She was about to speak but I cut her off. "And…not just for bandaging up my arm with your shirt." I blushed. "You…stopped me from doing something I…really would have regretted. If you hadn't stopped me I…I probably would have killed him. I…couldn't live with that." I leaned forward and enveloped her in a tight hug, and she hugged back. We stayed like that for a while, not moving, not caring about what we really should have been doing at that moment.

We really should've been making our way to the school. But we were late already, I knew that. Might as well be even more late. Once we got to school I'd go back to being a depressed student who would much rather not be in class at the moment. I'd rather stay here, holding on tightly to the girl I loved. But the most annoying question kept running through my head, and I had to ask, breaking the peaceful silence between us. "Kori…what are we now?" I asked, almost afraid for her answer.

She lifted up her head and looked at me, confused. "I…do not understand what you are saying…" she mumbled. I sighed.

"What are we? Do you still…want to not talk to me forever and this is just a rare moment where you are being close to me because of what just happened?" I ranted. Kori smiled and leaned over, kissing my cheek.

"Richard…I never hated you. I was just mad. And I do believe that we are…friends." I smiled and pulled her into another hug. She wrapped her arms around my waist and buried her head deep into my shoulder. The fact that school existed seemed to be forgotten in her mind.

"I…I'd like that."

* * *

Another one-scene chapter. Last time we saw that...was wayway back in chapter numero 9 where the original Richard and Kori versus Fang fight was.

omg Richard's a perv. Stupid boy.

Next Update: Chapter 29 (I'm crazy) - Richard's Story, November 6th


	29. Richard's Story

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Teen Titans. Or any circuses.

**Dedication: **RobinxStarfireLuvr, reviewer 350.

* * *

Adjusting to friendship with Kori over the next few weeks was frustrating. Every once in a while I would forget that we were only at friend status, and would almost go to kiss her. She'd just look at me strangely and push my face away, giggling nervously. She knew I still liked her. I could tell. She'd continuously tease me about it. Through her actions I could tell she still liked me, too. Whenever I'd mention it, she'd try to cover it up. 

She swung beside me, her legs moving along with her. She was high in the air, where I was barely above the ground. My feet dug into the sand as I slowly kicked my dangling legs. "Richard, why are you not swinging?" Kori questioned. I just shrugged. "Swing!" I sighed and pumped my legs, causing the swing to move.

The swing continued to get higher until I was at the same height as Kori. "Happy now?" I questioned, turning towards my ruby haired friend. She nodded at me, smiling. I smiled back at her before jumping off the swing. My feet landed on the grass and I turned around, looking back at Kori. "Jump!"

"Uhm…I do not think—"

"Kori, just jump." I rolled my eyes. "You're not scared…are you?" I grinned.

"No! Of course not! I just—"

"Just jump!" Kori sighed. She loosened her grip from the chains and flew off the swing, heading towards me. She fell into me and we hit the ground with a thud, rolling so I was on top of her. "You weren't supposed to land on me." Kori laughed nervously as she let her arms around me fall down to the ground.

"Sorry...about that," Kori muttered, turning her head to the side slightly. Our faces were extremely close. I brought one of my hands to her face and turned her head back so she was looking at me. She bit her bottom lip. "Richard…don't…"

"Kori…you can't just forget everything that has happened between us. I _know_ that you still love me. You can't hide it. And I…still love you, too." Kori's eyes began to water and she shook her head. "It's not like…you wouldn't feel anything…if I did this…" I kissed her. And she kissed back.

She pushed me off after she realized what she was doing. "Richard, no," she whispered. I sighed and closed my eyes, opening them up again after a moment.

"Sorry Kor…" I muttered, getting up to my feet. Kori sighed and got up, putting her hands on my shoulders.

"Do not be sorry. It is just…I know that it is hard for you. I do not like the…friendship either. I just…am afraid. The closer we get…the more it hurts when we get torn apart." Tears rolled down her cheeks, her mascara running from her eyes. I pulled her into a tight hug, and felt like I could stay like that forever.

"I know Kori…but…why can't you take the risk?" She didn't answer. She just stayed in my arms, her fingers digging into my back, and her tears soaking my sleeve.

* * *

"Richard Jonathan Grayson, you open this door!" Fists made contact with the wooden door, the sound echoing through the room. I winced at the mention of my full name. After rolling off of my bed, I crossed the room and flung open the door. Raven and Kori stood there, in uniform, Raven's arms crossed and Kori's hands on her hips. They looked annoyed. "Took ya' long enough," Raven muttered.

"You," I pointed to the amethyst haired girl. "Raven _Natalie _Roth, go to school." Raven rolled her eyes. "And you," I grabbed my ex-girlfriend's arm. "Come with me." I dragged her in after with me, while Raven shrugged and left.

"Richard! We must be getting to school!" Kori complained as I released her arm and walked over towards my dresser. "The last time we were late we got a detention!" I opened up the top drawer and pulled out a photograph, slamming the drawer shut.

"This is more important," I informed Kori, walking back over towards her. Kori sighed.

"What is more—"

"This." I shoved the photograph at her, and she took it into her hands. Her eyes went wide as she scanned the slightly torn picture. It was the picture of my parents that she dropped when we broke up a few weeks ago. "Kori…meet my…parents." She gasped and turned towards me, enveloping me in a huge hug. I placed my hands on her shoulders and lightly pushed her off. "I…want to tell you…about them."

"Richard, you do not have to. I know it is not a subject you like to—"

"No Kori, I…I want to tell you," I cut her off again. She smiled at me and crossed her legs. "Please…don't tell anyone. It's for you to know only." Her face turned a light shade of pink. "Not even…Raven knows…the whole story."

"You are positive that you do not want to keep it to yourself?" Kori questioned, fiddling with the picture in her hands. I placed my own on top of hers, stopping her from accidentally tearing it any more.

"Positive," I replied, smiling. I took a deep breath and begun to tell Kori my story. "This…is Mary, my…mother…and this is John, my father. I'm in the middle." I pointed to the appropriate people in the photograph.

"Your mother is very beautiful," Kori whispered. She brought a hand up to my face and looked into my eyes. "It seems that…good looks run in the family." I blushed and she let her hand slide off my face, resting it in her lap.

"My mom would say thanks, but…" I trailed off and heaved a deep sigh, before continuing my tale. Kori gave me a concerned look but I once again persuaded her that I wanted to talk about this, and I went on. "We were…in the…circus, and we were called the Flying Graysons. One night…"

_A young boy walked around the circus grounds, kicking a can in front of him while he went. In a little while he'd have to get ready for his performance. His parents were busy practicing already, but they decided to give him a break._

_The aluminum can he had been kicking rolled under a circus tent and the boy sighed, stuffing his hands into his pockets. He continued to walk around until his foot made contact with a large, protruding rock and he fell to the ground. "Ow," he muttered. "Stupid rock." A group of girls about his age giggled at him as they walked past, his face turning red in embarrassment._

_"Haha, smooth Rich," a female voice teased. The boy looked up at the speaker, a young girl whose father was a lion tamer. Her long, blonde hair was tied up in a ponytail, pulling it away from her face and showing off her sparkling violet eyes. The boy blushed even more at the sight of the girl. He had a bit of a crush on her. "Here, let me help you."_

_The boy took her hand and got to his feet, blushing a bit. "Thanks…Alyssa," he thanked her. "Uhh…" He looked down at his hand, still held in hers, immediately snatching it away. "I uh…better…go see my parents…they uh…probably want me to…start getting ready…for tonight's performance." He began to back away as he said that, accidentally falling into a circus tent in the process._

_"You got the money?" an unfamiliar voice asked. The boy observed the scene inside the tent. Two men were talking, one of them hr recognized as the ringmaster. The other he had never seen before._

_"I-I'm sorry, sir, but I—"_

_"If you don't pay up now, you'll regret it later," the unfamiliar voice threatened as he cut off the ringmaster. The strange man got up from where he was sitting to leave, and the boy immediately got up and hastily ran away._

"It's too bad that…the ringmaster didn't take his threat…seriously," I muttered. I wiped a tear away with the back of my hand and sighed, dropping my head. Kori placed one of her hands on my shoulder.

"Richard, you do not have to finish if—"

"No. I'm gonna tell you _everything_…"

_"Richard, why are you late?" a tall, brunette woman questioned the boy as he ran back to the tent where he was performing. "You are lucky you did not miss any performance. Now go get ready, you're on soon. I gotta go!"_

_"Mommy, wait!" the boy shouted. His mother stopped and turned around to look at him._

_"It'll have to wait, _Robin_…" He never heard her say anything else…_

"It's my fault…" I muttered. Kori pulled me into a hug and shook her head.

"Richard…do not blame yourself. There is nothing that you could have done," she tried to persuade me. It didn't work.

"I could have ran faster and gotten there earlier so I could've—" Kori placed her finger to my mouth, silencing me.

"Shh…calm down." I sighed and decided to finish the story.

_The boy watched in shock as they fell. The trapeze wires trailed after them, stretching no where near the entire distance of the fall. As they hit the ground, the boy ran over to their bodies. "NO!" he screamed as he reached them, tears streaming down his face. "…no…"_

Kori held me tighter as I broke down, crying into her shoulder. "It's ok Richard…I…I know it's hard to lose somebody you love, to lose the only people who ever cared about you…" She began to cry herself. "But…you cannot dwell on the past. It's not what they would want. They want you to try and live your life and be happy…and maybe find…someone else that will…love you."

I looked up at her and sniffled. "…Kori…"

_"…Robin_…" She brought a finger up to my face and wiped away a tear. I smiled.

Then she kissed me.

_A small, ebony haired girl whimpered as she backed away from the group of boys, their laughs ringing through her ears. "Leave me alone!" she screamed at them, her navy eyes filled with fear. The boys just laughed more and pushed her down to the ground. She let out a yelp as she fell back, her eyes watering as she made contact with the hard ground._

_"Stop it!" Richard yelled, running over towards the students. "What did she ever do to you?!" The boys just laughed even _louder

_"The new kid's standing up for the witch!" one of the boys exclaimed. Another one shoved Richard in the chest, knocking him down. He gritted his teeth as he got back on his feet._

_"You really shouldn't—" the pale girl tried to warn him, but it was too late. Richard punched one of the bullies in the face, blood spurting from his nose. He screamed in pain and ran off, his buddies following him. Richard turned around to face the girl, who was now standing up. "You are so dead, you know that right…" she trailed off, not remembering his name. The teacher had told them this morning, but…_

_"Richard," he replied._

_"Right. Um…thank you…Richard." The girl turned around and went to leave, but stopped as a voice called out to her._

_"Wait!" The dark haired girl sighed as she turned around. This boy was annoying. "Um…you never told me your name."_

_"It's Raven. Raven Roth."_

* * *

Not the longest chapter but...whatever. Delayed because...I'm lazy... Anyways. Yeah. Richard and Kori are back together. For one because, she's the ONLY person he ever told that all to (he didn't tell her the last segment with Raven, but that was like, to show that things were gonna be ok, since he met Raven who..eventually, would be his friend)

And...I was bored but...not in a writing mood at one point this week and made up full names for everyone (some aren't made up) And some certain things (Like the Anders family tree) will be cleared up soon..

Next Update: Chapter 30 (I've really gotta finish up soon xD We are getting pretty close. The last non-epilogue chapter will take place in June '06) November 20th.

Here's those character names:  
-Richard Jonathan Grayson –Age 17 (3-11-89)  
-Korinne (Kori) Leona Gilchrist/Anders –Age 17 (1-21-89)  
-Raven Natalie Orman/Roth –Age 16 (5-30-89)  
-Garfield (Gar) Matthew Logan –Age 14 (9-15-92)  
-Tara Renée Markov/Wilson –Deceased (11-26-90)  
-Victor (Vic) Nicholas Stone –Age 18 (8-7-88)  
-Katherine (Kitten) Melissa Moth –Age 17 (10-31-89)  
-Kimberly (Kimi) Jade Rodriguez/Anders –Age 19 (7-8-87)  
-Ryan Antonio Rodriguez/Anders –Age 10 (4-19-97)  
-Ivy Gilchrist –Deceased-Cecelia Rodriguez/Anders –Age 40  
-Angela Orman/Roth –Age 41


	30. Lessons Part One

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Teen Titans.

**Dedication:** Patick Star :U ("What did you wish for Patrick?" "Another piece of paper.")

* * *

As April came to an end, the warm days returned. The early days of May hit high temperatures of around eighty degrees, and nobody was complaining. Jackets had been discarded, and out came shorts and flip flops. 

Kori ran down the street, dragging me after her. Her orange sandals scraped against the ground as she went, her long hair trailing behind her and into my face. I held on tightly to her wrist, trusting her guidance as I could barely see due to the mess of hair. She came to an abrupt stop after climbing a few stairs and I stumbled and grabbed onto her shoulder to keep myself up.

She stuffed her hand into the pocket of her shorts and pulled out a key, shoving it into the lock of the door. She swiftly turned it and pulled it back out, putting it back into her pocket. The door flung open and we walked inside, towards her kitchen. When we went in, I flopped down into a wooden chair, sinking into the soft cushion.

Kori crossed the room to the refrigerator, opening it up and looking inside. She reached her arm in and pulled out a pie, closing the door with her foot as she returned to the table. She dropped the pie down and made her way over to a cabinet, pulling out a plate. Putting it under her arm, she slid open a drawer and pulled out two spoons, coming back to the table and dropping them. "You must try this excellent pie." I cringed slightly. "Do not worry, I did not cook it."

I laughed. Kori was a terrible cook. I wouldn't trust her making microwave popcorn. "Who did make it?" I asked as I shoved my spoon into the pie.

"That would be me," a Spanish accent said from behind us. We turned around and looked to see Mrs. Anders entering the room. She walked over to us and bent over the table, tucking her wavy hair behind her ear so it wouldn't go in the food. "Don't you eat all that pie, Korinne. I want to have at least a _pequeno_ amount left for dinner, ok? I know how you like to eat." Kori blushed, and I wasn't quite sure weather it was because she got called "Korinne" or because her like of food.

"I will make sure to save a few crumbs, Cecelia," Kori replied. Mrs. Anders laughed and rolled her eyes at the red head before leaving the room. Why Kori had called her mother by her first name was a little weird to me, but I decided not to question it. I'd have more fun questioning her own name.

"So...Korinne, eh?" I asked with a smirk. Kori narrowed her eyes at me, but then grinned. I raised an eyebrow as she lifted her spoon, and my eyes went wide as I realized what she was doing. But I realized to late, as she had already flung the clump of pie on the spoon right into my face.

I wiped the pie off my face and glared at my girlfriend. "Be happy this pie tastes better than your cookies," I muttered. Kori stuck her tongue out at me.

"What would you have rather I have thrown at your face, Richard?" she questioned me. She put the spoon back down on the table, and snickered a bit as she brought her hand to my face, wiping off a bit of custard.

"Well...I wouldn't have minded if you did this to my face..." I leaned forward and kissed her, and she giggled as I pulled away.

"I guess that could have worked...although it might not have been torturing you...it would still be pleasing me." She kissed me this time, but it was longer, and did not stop until we heard someone coughing.

We pulled away in fear of it being her father, but we both sighed in relief at the fact that it was only Ryan...and a friend. "Can't you two get a room?" Ryan asked. I considered flinging pie at him, but decided against it. I'd do that later to the other Anders sitting next to me.

"Ryan, what do you want?" Kori asked, agitated. "Can you not just go play with your girlfriend and leave us alone?" Ryan went beet red at the mention of the word "girlfriend".

"She's not my girlfriend!" Ryan yelled in defense. The short, brunette girl next to him's smile faltered slightly, and I smiled to myself.

"Why does this seem familiar?" Kori mused, glancing towards me. I elbowed her in the side and glared. She just giggled and pushed me playfully in the shoulder.

"Hey Ryan, just a bit of advice, when you shout it like that, it means you like the girl. Trust me on that," I told the auburn haired boy. He turned redder, and Kori too. She smirked at me and whispered something about me knowing from experience. I just rolled my eyes.

"Ryan, just...go to your room...or something. Just make sure that if I come up there you two are not doing any kissing." Kori giggled and Ryan glared, his face red as a tomato. "I am only kidding, Ryan. I am getting payback for what you said about Richard and I..." She counted on her fingers. "Five months ago."

"Any more jokes or I'll show dad that picture," Ryan said seriously. Kori's eyes widened and she bit her bottom lip. "I see we have met an understanding." Ryan turned around and left the room, pulling his friend out with him. I turned towards Kori, looking at her questionably.

"Picture?" I asked, confused. Kori sighed and looked towards the table.

"Remember...that picture...Ryan took...in December...of us, uh, kissing," Kori muttered, flustered. I grinned and put an arm around Kori's shoulders.

"Oh yeah, I remember that. I was afraid I'd be a bad kisser," I told her, laughing. Kori laughed, too, and moved herself closer to me, her face _very_ close.

"You certainly were not...definitely not. Honestly, I think...that you..." She never did finish that sentence. She found a way to explain it better _without_ words.

* * *

Kori laid down on my bed, snuggling up close to one of the pillows. She yawned quietly and I smiled as I sat beside her. She was tired from being up all last night. I wasn't sure why, and I didn't feel like bothering her for an answer. She needed her sleep. 

She hadn't been here long. No more than a half an hour. I guess that there was no way she'd be getting sleep at her own house. I ran my fingers through her hair as I sat there watching her sleep. Her face was buried deep into the white pillow in her hands and her legs were tucked close to her. I smiled. She looked so peaceful in her sleep. I'd probably be rolling over and thrashing around every two seconds.

I heard a knock at my door and I sighed, getting up to answer it. I pulled open the door and a laughing Victor, Garfield, and Raven all walked in. The three sat down onto my bed and Kori groaned, pulling herself up. "I was sleeping..." she mumbled, annoyed. I shook my head and I walked over next to her.

"Kor, go sleep in the guest room next to here, since you're not gonna get any sleeping done in here," I told her. I put out my hand for her and she grabbed it. I pulled her up to her feet and she sighed.

"I...I wish to...stay here with you," she whispered before she let out a yawn. I put a hand on her shoulder and sighed.

"Kor, you need your sleep. You even looked tired when you got here. Go on." She nodded weakly before leaning over and kissing me. I smiled as she turned and left. I spun around and looked at my three friends on the bed, glaring slightly. "What're you doing here?"

"Came to tell you that we're in so much trouble," Gar laughed. I raised an eyebrow at the blonde and he just continued to laugh.

"Genius here suggested we free the frogs from the biology class," Victor informed me, and I snickered quietly. "So Wilson comes in and he's all 'what the hell?' and starts yellin' at us. But Gar saved his little girlfrien--ow--by saying that she had nothing to do with it." Vic rubbed his arm where Raven had elbowed him.

"So, I'm guessing you two are friends again?" I asked. Raven and Garfield nodded. "Good. Now maybe our lunch table will be less...eerie." Vic let out a quick laugh and I sighed. "Couldn't you guys have just like...called me and told me this?" Vic and Gar shook their heads. Rae nodded. I rolled my eyes. "Kori was trying to sleep."

"Yeah, what's up with that? Why's she so tired?" Vic wondered. "Now that I think about it, she did seem pretty tired at lunch today." I nodded in agreement.

"I'm...not sure why." I sighed. Hopefully I'd find out sooner or later.

* * *

I sat in front of my computer, typing away on my keyboard. I needed to finish up my English assignment before tomorrow. Of course I waited until the last minute to write my report 

An IM popped up in a new window on the screen, and I sighed.

_"**StarlitEclipse: **Richard, I left my backpack in your room, can you please bring it to me."_

I quickly typed in a reply (_"yea sure kor ill b rite there"_) and saved my Word File. I got up from my chair and looked around the room. I spotted the small, black bag beside my bed and picked it up. _'What's in here that's so important that she--' _Inside was homework, makeup, some art supplies, and...female products.

I slung the bag over my shoulder and left the room, going down the stairs and leaving the mansion. The closer I got to Kori's house, the louder the pounding dance music became. I just went right ahead and opened the door, walking inside. No one would hear the doorbell ringing, anyway.

The whole floor was full of dancing college students, most of them probably drunk. Ryan walked out through the kitchen door and went directly to the elevator. He looked really pissed.

I saw Kimi dancing in the living room, a bottle in her right hand, the contents spilling out the top. I waved her over to me and she arrived soon after noticing. "Where is your sister?!" I asked her. I had to shout over the loud music. No wonder Kori had to come to my house to sleep.

"Why's everything...always about...my sister. Why not me, Richie," she mumbled between hiccups. She was _definitely _drunk. She slung her arms around my neck and my eyes went wide.

"Uhh...I think you...should maybe lay down," I suggested, backing up a step. Kimi just came closer, her grip tighter.

"Only if...you...come with me," she slurred, and my eyes went even _wider_. I went to back up more, but I was up against a wall. Kimi leaned in closer, grinning.

"Kim, what are you--MMPH!!!" She slammed her lips on mine and I struggled to get away, but she was strong. She held onto my face to stop me from ending the kiss anytime soon.

She didn't stop the kiss. And neither did I. A scream did. The scream of a heartbroken redhead. "KORI!" I gasped as soon as I was free. "It's not what it looks like, I swear!" Tears were streaming down her face.

"You..._bitch_!" she yelled. But she wasn't mad at me. She was mad at her drunken sister who was still wrapped around me. This was going to be bad.

* * *

Yaaay, I'm late xD I've been busy this week. Art related stuff (I'm more of an artist than a writer) And my computer is slow as... -mumbling- Next chapter will be interesting. Oh it'll be funfunfun. And yyou'll learn more about why Kori called Cecelia by her first name, if you couldn't figure it out already.

Let's see...story timeline... -ponders- Prom...birthday...dirty things xD (just kidding...or am I)...graduation...ending...epilogue. Yeah that's pretty much it. And now I'm gonna torture you and you're all gonna have to make predictions of the ending in your reviews. (if it's actually similar, it's a coincidence)

Thirty Chapter Mark. What's your favorite scene this time? xD (some people it might be the same)  
Next Update: Chapter 31- Lessons Part Two, December 11th


	31. Lessons Part Two

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Teen Titans...or Ariel or Prince Eric xD

**Dedication: **Reviewer 375 who I cant look up at the moment 'cause Firefox is being all glitchy due to Oekaki oh joy.

* * *

I held onto Kori tightly as she attempted to attack her sister. They were screaming at each other, words that I couldn't even understand. I had given up on trying to convince them to stop. Kimi was too drunk to understand half of what I was saying and Kori was to stubborn to listen. A few of the college students that were still sober watched the girls fighting, cheering them on. 

Their screaming was loud and fast, and I could only pick up a few words, "_puttana_" being said the most. Kori struggled more in my grip and I wrapped my arms tighter around her waist. She continued to spit words at her sister, her face getting redder the more she yelled. She finally exploded, yelling "_Vaffanculo!_" and tearing away from me. She turned around and stormed her way out of the room.

Kimi stood there, in total shock. I raised an eyebrow at the black haired girl. "What did she tell you?" I questioned. Kimi didn't reply. I groaned. "Screw this..." I walked away and went out into the hallway. I figured Kori would be in her room, so I went into the elevator, taking it up to her floor. I entered her room and looked around. She wasn't there, but I could hear her crying quietly. I walked around the room and finally found her, sitting out on her balcony.

"Hey," I said as I walked over to her. She glanced up at me before putting her head back down. I leaned onto the railing next to her and sighed. "You know that, your sister kissed me right. Not the other way around." Kori's grip on the railing tightened.

"Yes," she replied simply, not looking up.

"And you know that, I didn't want to. She was all drunk and she just kinda...came onto me." Kori sighed and turned towards me. Her eyes were red and puffy, and tears were still running down her face. I reached out my hand and wiped the tears away, and she smiled weakly.

"I believe you Richard. I have seen..._Kimberly_ drunk before. My damn half sister can not control herself," Kori muttered, saying her sister's name bitterly.

"Half...sister?" I questioned, and Kori nodded.

"Kimi and I...have different mothers," she explained, looking aside. She didn't seem to like talking about this.

"So...Cecelia isn't Kimi's mom?" I asked, just to make sure. Kori shook her head.

"Cecelia is Ryan and Kimi's mother." _'That's why she called her by her first name...wait--'_ Before I could speak, she cut me off. "Yes, I know Ryan is my younger brother and Kimi is my older sister. It is a...long story."

"I'd like to hear it," I told her. I reached out and held her hand, and she smiled at me.

"I just hope...you do not think anything less of me after you hear it..."

I listened intently as Kori explained the strange story to me. It was...sad. Myan, Kori's father, had been going to college with Cecelia Rodriguez in England. They started going out in their second year, and when Cecelia was twenty, she had gotten pregnant with Kimi. Myan and Cecelia broke up a few months later, and Cecelia a bit after that left college and found a job in London. Myan would still visit Cecelia every once in a while to see his daughter.

When Myan was twenty-two, he went on a trip to Ireland with some of his buddies after they graduated. In a restaurant, he met Ivy Gilchrist, a waiter. He began flirting with her and asked her out, but she denied him. He came back the next few days and asked her again, and she eventually gave in. He brought her to a really fancy restaurant and treated her like a queen, and she ended up falling for him.

Of course, Myan didn't know he got Ivy pregnant that night. Myan left Dublin the next day and headed to Shannon, all the way on the other side of the country. By the time Ivy found out she was pregnant, he was already back at home with his family in Italy.

Ivy, disowned by her parents, had to raise Kori herself. The only people who would talk to her still was her grandmother, Alice, and her brother, Galfore. Alice would send her money every month, but she died about a year after Kori was born. Ivy eventually moved in with her older brother, who helped take care of the young Kori.

But, Ivy didn't live very long.

"My mother...got sick," Kori explained to me. Her eyes began to water again, and I knew this part of the story was not going to be happy. "I...am not quite sure what exactly was wrong with her. I...was only five, and I did not want to ask Galfore. It would sadden him. But, I think it had...something to do with...drugs." Kori's shoulders were starting to shake and I wrapped my arms tightly around her.

"After she...died," she continued, choking on her words. "I was...sent to live with my father. They would not let me...stay with Galfore. My father...did not even know I existed. He was...in shock when they told him...I was his daughter and I'd...live with him." Kori hugged me tightly and I sighed, looking up towards the sky. A bolt of heat lightning shot down from the clouds in the distance.

"About...a year later, the two of us went to visit...Cecelia and Kimberly. Normally, when he went to visit them...in London, I would stay with my grandparents in Italy, but...my father wanted me to meet...my sister. While we were there...my father and Cecelia...started to get involved with each other again. A month after we returned...to Italy, Cecelia and Kim came to visit us. A...few months later...they ended up getting married. And when...I was eight...Ryan was born."

I stroked Kori's hair slowly and she buried her head into my chest. I could feel my t-shirt becoming soaked and I lightly pushed her away. Another flash of heat lightning filled the sky, blinding me for a second. "I think it'll be safer if we go inside," I told the forest-eyed girl, and she nodded in agreement. I lead her inside and I sat on the bed, but she strayed off towards her dresser.

She opened up the top drawer and dug around, knocking out some undergarments in the process. After a few moments, she pulled out an object and closed the drawer. She walked back over towards me and sat down on the bed beside me.

In her hands was a small notebook with a fuzzy pink cover and a ribbon stuck inside as a place marker. She opened up the notebook and under the cover was a photograph. Beneath the photo was a dated entry, so I assumed the notebook was a diary. "My father...does not like thinking about her much...so I keep the picture in here." Kori handed me the picture, and in it was a short blonde woman, not much older than us. She was pale, about my skin tone, and had the same glimmering green eyes as Kori, probably where she got the name Ivy. Beside her was a young girl, about four, with orange tinted, long blonde hair.

"Is that you?" I questioned, pointing to the girl. She was wearing a purple dress, which was quite ironic, since Kori was wearing a purple nightgown.

"Yes. My hair...got darker when I got older." Kori sighed and folded her hands. "I used to perform all sorts of tricks and dances for her." I glanced back again at the picture, noticing the small trophy in the young Kori's hands. "I was...her star." Kori was still crying, but not as much, although I could tell she wanted to cry her eyes out.

I grabbed my girlfriend's hand and smiled at her. "I bet that...up in heaven, your mom is watching you and, she still thinks that you're her star. And you're my star, too."

Kori looked up and me, and gave a small smile. "You are such a sap..." She threw her arms around me and I smiled, hugging her in return. Kori sighed and rested her head on my shoulder. "_Ti amo..._" I heard her whisper into my ear.

"What's that mean?" I asked. She said nothing. All she did was hold me tighter. "Well...'_ti amo' _to you, too...whatever it means." She pulled away slightly before leaning in and giving me a kiss. That was unexpected.

Of course, I wasn't going to refuse.

* * *

The day before the junior/senior prom was extremely hot, and according to the Weather Channel, it was going to stay that way. Of course, the Weather Channel isn't exactly _accurate_. Even the beach was very warm, but it was still a little cooler than inland. "Riiichard," Kori moaned. "It is waay too hot." The red head fell back into the sand, her arms outstretched. 

"Yeah, I know," I mumbled, rolling up my sleeves. Kori had already taken off her shoes and socks, her bare feet playing with the sand. "Not like there's much we can do about it." Kori groaned and stood up, pulling off her shirt and vest. "What are you doing?!"

"I am going in the water. It has to be cool in the ocean," she explained as she threw her shirt, vest, and tie at my face. I pulled it off, but right afterwards had her skirt flung at me.

"Must you throw clothing at me?" I questioned, casting the items aside. Kori turned around to look at me, in her underpants and a tank top, her hands on her hips. She nodded a yes before turning back around and running into the water. Once the water was about halfway up her thighs, she dived in, coming back up seconds later.

"Come on! It is nice and cool!" Kori shouted to me.

"Yeah, _Ariel_, I'd rather not," I replied, rolling my eyes. Kori made her way closer to the shore and tried to convince me again, very dramatically.

"But _Prince Eric_, I wish to be with you so very much!" she exclaimed as she fell back into the water, giggling. She quickly got back up to her feet and walked over closer to me, the water now only a few inches above her ankles.

"Hey, since you have those legs, aren't you like, not suppossed to be able to talk?" I questioned. Kori crossed her arms, "hmph"ing at me. I smirked and walked towards her, the waves coming up to my shoes. Kori came over and grabbed my hands, pulling.

"Come on, you must!" She groaned as she pulled, and it felt like she was trying to stretch out my arms. I continued my protests, and she continued her complaints, until she finally tugged so hard that the both of us fell back into the water. I pushed with my arms to lift myself up a bit, and Kori resurfaced, coughing water out of her mouth.

"Great...now I'm wet." I rung out the bottom of my shirt, but I was still soaked. Kori put her arms on my shoulders to hold herself up and spit some salt water into my face. "Ah!" I brought a hand up to wipe off my face and, due to that, didn't have enough support to hold me up. My other arm that had been holding me slipped and I flopped back down into the water, with Kori under me.

She pushed my shoulders and I rolled over onto my back beside her. She rolled onto me in return, propping herself up with her elbows. I sighed. "Well, now that you've gotten me out here in the water, what do you plan on doing?" Kori tapped her chin and looked up in thought for a moment. She then grinned and before I knew what was happening, she splashed me. "Oh, you're dead. So dead." I got up to my feet, causing her to scream and fly a few feet away (which was very fun to watch), due to the fact that she had been ontop of me.

"Richard Johnathan!" she exlcaimed as she scampered to her feet. I turned a light shade of red at her mention of my name. Damn Raven for telling her.

"Korinne...dammit, what's your middle name?!" I questioned as I scratched the back of my head. Kori took the opportunity to tackle me down, payback for my sending her through the air. She smiled down at me, knowing perfectly well that she had won this battle.

"Well, if you really want to know, it is Leona, but do not go telling people that." She was blushing slightly and I nodded in agreement.

"Leona...it's pretty." I brought my arms up around her, and her smile and blush grew. "Of course, it is _your_ name. Not like I should've been expecting something different." She giggled and kissed me, and I kissed back.

Our kissing was interrupted a few minutes later, though. Raven had came to the beach, took one look at the two of us, soaking wet, and Kori barely dressed, making out in the water, and just looked away. "I'm not even going to ask..."

* * *

Haha. I actually made reffernce to the Little Mermaid in a fanfic without using that cheesey kiss the girl song xD That scene was just to make me happy inside since the beginning is all emo and such. And Ti amo means "I love you" in Italian. For the other two Italian words at the very begging of the chapter, look uo "Italian profanity" on Wikipedia xDDD BEcause of that page, my friend MEgan calls everyone a Puttana, now.

Don't expect an update Monday, Tuesday I should have something. Monday I'm doing the Sirit Week Scavenger Hunt :D! Those seventh graders are so going down xD Eigth Grade is so gonna own them :B

Update: Chatper 32- December 19th?, Untitled ever swo neccissary prom chapter where Raven-- -hit by a truck before I can finish sentence-


	32. Proposal

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Teen Titans. Or the "song" later on in this chapter. It was a quick emo poem my friend Becky made for me to use. (I believe her fanfic username is Jupe-san)

**Dedication:** Happy birthday, Holly :D! (yay for sleeping bag hippie sex :B)

* * *

I laid down on my bed, staring up at the ceiling, sighing every few minutes.I didn't want to go to the prom. A few days ago, sure, I was fine. But when I realized today's date in school today, I went into what Gar and Vic call "emo-mode".

Gar sighed, in a mocking sort of way, and rolled his eyes at my actions. He wasn't even supposed to be going to the prom. But he begged Raven to take him as his "date", so he'd be allowed in. Otherwise he'd be all alone at home. If Terra was...still with us, he'd probably hang with her, but...that wasn't happening.

Victor was probably already there, with his girlfriend...I think her name is Kolette. He gets new girlfriends every three days. I can't keep track.

The door flung open and Raven walked in, and Garfield and I both widened our eyes in shock (and he was also drooling along with it...) It wasn't that she was wearing anything fancy. Oh no, it was just a simple halter black dress with a slit in the side. It was her _hair_. It was black. I was the first to speak. "Raven...you went back to your natural hair color."

Raven sighed and turned her red face to the side. "It doesn't look stupid, does it?" she questioned, and I shook my head quickly.

"No, not at all. It looks...nice," I assured her, and she smiled. "Right Gar?" Gar snapped out of has trance and gave a little nod.

"Yeah...pretty..." he muttered, almost drunken-like. Raven and I laughed quietly at him. A voice behind us interrupted it, though.

"Sorry I have taken so long. I believe we may go as soon as you stop giggling," Kori commented with a slight laugh. Raven and I spun around to look at my girlfriend, and she had to grasp my arm to stop me from falling backwards. Kori looked...stunning (and that's not a word I use often...) And she wore flat shoes and not heels. That way she'd only be two inches taller than me and not six. I sputtered as I looked at her, trying to make words, and I failed. Now I understood why Gar had trouble speaking.

Raven elbowed me in the side and rolled her eyes. "Speak English, dumb ass." I scratched the back of my head and looked down towards my feet, collecting myself.

"Kor...look...n-nice," I stuttered out. Kori smiled and shook her head at me. She grabbed my shoulders and pulled me closer to her. I stiffened up for a moment, but relaxed as her head came up beside mine and she spoke into my ear.

"You seem to me in a better mood now than earlier. Was there something wrong before?" She sounded a bit concerned. I sighed, telling her that everything was fine. She scoffed at me and pulled away, her hands still gripping onto my shoulders. "Richard, I know when something is wrong with you. Something was clearly wrong with you. I am not _that_ dense." The corners of my lips upturned slightly at her comment, but my frown returned quickly.

"I'm just a little stressed about this whole prom thing," I lied, running a hand through my hair.

"That is all? Because I have seen you depressed before and it is normally for a more...serious reason. Like when--eep!" I snatched her arm and pulled her out of the room, shutting the door behind us so Raven and Garfield wouldn't hear us. "Richard, why did you pull me out here." I sighed.

"Kori...did I ever tell you the day my parents died?" She shook her head. "No? Well, it was May 18th." Kori raised and eyebrow, looking at me with a "why are you telling me this now" look on her face for a moment, but then gasped as she realized what I meant.

"Oh Richard, I am so sorry!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around me. I squirmed to try to keep her from snapping my arms in half. "If you do not wish to go, you do not have to come to the prom, considering...the day it is." She put her arms back to her sides so she could look at me when I spoke.

I shook my head and grabbed one of her hands. "No, I wanna go." She smiled. "Although, I probably wouldn't if I wasn't going with you." Her smile grew and she leaned over closer, but the door flung open beside us, hitting the both of us in the side. I rubbed my arm and glared at Gar who had opened it and was now complaining.

"I'm sick of waiting for you two to stop your little private time!" He pointed a finger at us accusingly. "Let's just go to this stupid dance!" I nodded.

"Yeah, we should do that." I grabbed Kori's arm and pulled her along as the four of us walked down the hall, Gar in the lead. Raven and Garfield turned a corner that led to the staircase, and Kori grasped tightly to my arm and pulled me back.

"Do you think Garfield shall survive if we take one more minute?" she questioned.

"Eh, he'll live," I replied.

"Good." She grinned and pulled me into a kiss. I glanced for a second before closing my eyes. No doors to come hit us this time.

* * *

"Yo, aren't they supposed to have like, punch in a bowl at these things, man? I mean, c'mon, soda in a cup just ruins it, dawg," Victor criticized as he snatched a soda from the large snack table located near the back of the hall. I shrugged. 

"I don't know. I guess. Whatever. Not like it matters," I replied, grabbing an orange soda and a Sprite from the table. I waved to Vic as I left with them, who grumbled as he walked off with his drink to his girlfriend. I returned to the round table on the other side of the room where Raven, Kitten, Kori, and Garfield were sitting, and I handed the orange soda to the redhead.

"Thank you," she told me, nodding. I gave a slight nod in return, in a way of saying "you're welcome". I slumped down into the seat beside her, and Kitten heaved a large sigh. I raised an eyebrow and asked what's wrong.

"I...everyone has a date here but me," she complained. "I'm such a loser." She sighed and put her head in her hands.

"You're not a loser," I argued, taking a sip of my Sprite. "If Kori had never moved here, I'd be alone, too. And I think it's much better you come alone than with that jackass of an exboyfriend of your's." Kori elbowed me in the side, and I glared at her. I changed my tone to a whisper and spoke so Kitten wouldn't hear. "What? He is. You know what he's done to you."

"And he has done stuff to you, too, but I do not think Kitten likes mentioning him," Kori whispered back, and I grumbled to myself and crossed my arms, muttering a "whatever". Kori sighed and rested her elbows on the table, leaning her face on her hands. "It is not bad, Kitten. I would have come without Richard, and would have still had a good time. I could break up with him right now and not care."

"Hey!" I exclaimed. "What does that mean?!" Garfield and Kitten giggled as I looked at my girlfriend, who glanced away from me and twirled her hair around innocently.

"Oh, nothing," she laughed. I frowned and looked away, silently. Kori sighed and spun around, throwing her arms around me. "Oh Richard, you know I am just kidding!" She giggled and rested her head on my shoulder, and I shrugged her off.

"Yeah. Mmhmm," I replied. Kori groaned and rolled her eyes. She let go of me and got up to her feet, walked around me so she was standing in front of me.

"Come on, let us dance." She grabbed my arms and pulled, and I unwillingly got up and followed. She pulled me out towards the middle of the room and put her hands on my shoulders. "Richard, I did not really mean that if I broke up with you it would not hurt me inside, I just meant that I would not let it ruin my night." I nodded and put my hands around her waist.

"It's beginning to ruin mine..." I muttered, and Kori gave an annoyed sigh.

"Richard, quit being stubborn!"

"Well, sorry, but my girlfriend just kinda told me if she broke up with me she wouldn't care and that's kinda depressing, don'tcha think?! Especially when you really love the person and I'm not talking about some silly little teenagers that go out for two days and are all like 'oh my God I love you' and make out all day but then break up! No I mean like seriously, like, _love_ you, like, I would fricken' marry you if we were like older, but we're not so I'm not gonna do that. And why are you...?" I trailed off and ended my rant as I noticed that she was grinning from ear-to-ear and her cheeks were flushed. "What did I say that I didn't really mean to say out loud?"

Kori shook her head at me, laughing. "You said that...you would marry me," she replied, looking towards her feet. My face turned a deep shade of red.

"Oh um...uh...oh." I couldn't speak right. I didn't mean to let _that_ out. "I uh..." Kori lifted up her head and placed a hand on my shoulder. I sighed. "Kor...I...um...dammit this is weird!" I turned around and went to storm off, but she threw her arms around me. I let my shoulders slump and I sighed again. "This is...so awkward. I'm such a spazz." Kori giggled and leaned her head on my shoulder.

"A spazz that I love very much, and apparently will be marrying sometime in the future, if he has not changed his mind a few years from now..." I blushed and turned to look at her.

"Are you...saying that...you'd want to marry me?" She gave a small nod, her face the same shade of red as a fire truck. I smiled, and I couldn't help myself but to turn around and throw my arms around the girl. She laughed and her arms found their way around me as the two of us stood there, giggling like idiots.

"We should practice our dance for the reception, Richard," Kori laughed, grabbing one of my hands. I nodded, still laughing.

"Sure, Mrs. Grayson."

* * *

I sat there and watched them dance, ignoring the pang of jealousy in my heart. It's not like it meant anything to them. They were just dance partners. I got tired, and he was ultimately bored, so he took my place. That's all. Of course I was still jealous. "Dude," Raven interrupted me from beside me. "Your eyes are greener than hers are." I looked at my pale friend and shook my head. 

"Look who's talking? I can tell you wish that was you out there. If you danced with the boy in the first place, it could be you," I shot back. She rolled her eyes and turned away, glancing around the room. Kitten came running over and leaned over the table, taking a sip of her soda. "Where you been?" She sighed dreamily before answering.

"Barbara's friend Donna came with this really cute guy named Conner and oh my God...She fricken' dumped him and oh wow...was she stupid." She giggled before turning around and running back off, and I stared as she left.

"Looks like she's gonna be off your case for now on," Raven muttered, and I nodded.

"Thank God."

I went back to watching Garfield and Kori dancing. She was laughing cheerfully as he glanced over toward Raven. I had noticed he kept doing that. I looked at Raven to see if maybe she had noticed, but she was facing the other way.

The hyper dance song in the background came to an end, and a new song began to start up. Kori and Gar's dancing slowed down to match the next song. It was a slow, sad sounding song.

_Where was I when you needed me? _

The look on Gar's face showed that he didn't like this song very much. I could see him say something along the lines of "ah this song sucks" to Kori, and she just laughed.

_Where was I when you cried for me?_

I wasn't liking this song much either. It was about people dieing.

_Where was I when you fell into your pit of despair? _

Raven noticed my sudden discomfort and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Are you okay?" I lifted up my head and looked at her.

_Where was I when you left, vanished into thin air? _

"Yeah, I'm fine."

_Where was I?_

_He kneeled in the puddle of blood on the ground, which was slowly becoming larger, as he cried, his tears mixing with the blood. "No no no..." he kept muttering to himself. A blonde girl ran up behind him and crouched down beside him, placing her hands on his shoulders._

_"Come on Rich, you've got to get out of here," she told him, and he stayed still._

_"I could've helped them, Lyss. I knew this was gonna happen," he told her._

_"Don't blame yourself, Richard. Now come on, you can't stay here. Let's go." She tugged on his arm, and he slapped her, causing her to fall back._

_"Leave me alone." Alyssa sighed and got to her feet._

_"Staying here isn't going to bring them back, Richard."_

I shook my head to try to forget the memory, but it kept replaying over and over again in my mind. I had to get out of here. I got to my feet and ran off, going out the back doors. The hot summer air was accompanied by a pouring rain, the atmosphere musty and humid. One of my shoes got stuck in the muddy path and I toppled onto the ground, face first, shouting out an obscenity as I fell. I lifted myself up and spit the mud out of my mouth.

I wiped most of the mud off of myself and then sat down on the grass beside the path. I pulled off my suit jacket and pulled it over my head like an umbrella. I could hear someone coming over, and then a hand grasped onto my jacket and pulled it up a little. Kori peeked her head in before climbing underneath. I didn't look at her at first, so the two of us just sat there silently, sheltered under my jacket from the rain.

Finally, she spoke. "Richar--" I pulled her close to me in a tight hug before she could even finish saying my name. I buried my face into her curled, now wet, hair and let a tear roll down my cheek. I didn't want to cry, but I had to let it out. Kori didn't question anything. She knew it was because of the day. She knew all along something like this was going to happen. She had probably been wondering when I was going to break down. I never got over _their _death, and I had a feeling I never would. And she could relate, having lost her own mother. At least I had known my parents a bit longer than Kori knew her.

Kori pulled away from the hug and looked at me. I gazed back at her, wondering if she was going to say anything. At first she did nothing at all, just looked, but then she raised a hand up to my face and ran it under my eyes, wiping my tears away. I smiled at her, and she smiled back. "Would you like to leave?" she asked, and I simply nodded to her. The two of us stood up, and she handed my jacket over to me, but I pushed it back towards her. She needed it more than I did. She was wearing a sleeveless, wine-colored gown. I at least had sleeves.

She grasped my hand with one of her gloved own and began to walk towards the parking lot. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and handed it to her, and she quickly called up Alfred to come pick us up. She ended the phone call and handed the phone back to me as we arrived at the front of the building, and we stood under the overhang, waiting.

I sighed and turned to Kori, and she looked at me concerned. "I guess I was just...so concerned with trying to make this night great for you, that I tried to forget about what happened...years ago," I explained to her. "But it seems I just made it worse." I leaned against the wall of the building and let out another sigh. "Now we're both standing out here, soaking wet, waiting to go home--early. Our clothes are ruined, and I'm depressed."

"I do not think it was a bad night. Not at all," Kori began. "I actually expected it to be worse, considering the circumstances. Truthfully, on the day of my mother's death...which is in September, I am much worse than you. I barely ever leave my room." I just simply nodded to show I was listening.

A few minutes passed by and we stood there, the only sound coming from the rain pelting on the overhang. I watched Kori out of the corner of my eye as she stood there, looking out at the road as she waited for Alfred to come. After a moment, I grabbed her arm and pulled her closer to me, kissing her. She was surprised at first, but after a few seconds, she joined in. It was a bit awkward, and felt somewhat forced. The kiss ended quickly, and she was looking at me strangly. "So, what possessed you to do _that_ all of a sudden?" she questioned.

I hugged her tightly in response. "Incase something ever happens to you, I want to be the last one to kiss you." She smiled and put her hands on the sides of my face.

"Well, then maybe we should make sure that last kiss is the best." And so we did.

* * *

I'm so sorry this is late. But my computer was down for like two weeks and when I get set off course I tend to procrastinate a little...

But to make up for it, this is my LONGEST chapter yet. Over 3k words C: AND I'm just about to hit 400 reviews. First to review this chapter will get it. I only need one more as I'm typing this.

MERRY BELATED CHRISTMAS, CHANNAKUH, KWANZAA, EID, NEW YEARS, AND MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY. Or anything else you might celebrate. And my birthday's in 6 days ;D I'll be 14.

Next Update: Chapter 33- Regrets, January 22nd


	33. Regrets

**.I DELETED AND RESUBMITTED THIS CHAPTER AS A MEANS OF ALERTING YOU THAT THERE IS A CHANGE.**

**Chapter One has been rewritten. Go read it. This chapter hasn't been changed. ((But it will be in the future.))  
**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Teen Titans, Rice Krispies, Coco Puffs, Volkswagon Beetles, and Samsung or Razor phones.

* * *

The blinding light of the morning sun shone through my window, and I opened my eyes slightly, squinting due to the brightness. I sat up and shook my head around, making my severely screwed up hair a bit more normal, and less sticking up. I rolled out of the bed and got to my feet, pulling on a pair of pants. I walked into my bathroom and looked into the mirror. I looked completely tired. Damn sunlight. I turned on the water and splashed myself in the face with it to help myself be more awake.

I dried my face off with a towel as I walked out and I threw it across the room, landing somewhere on my bed. I flung open the door and slammed it closed behind me as I made my way down the hall. I ran down the stairs and walked into the kitchen, greeted only by the site of Alfred's back as he read a newspaper and the scent of burning. "Toast is burning," I told him as I opened up a cabinet and stretched to reach the cereal on the top shelf.

Alfred immediately jumped up and quickly went to the toaster, popping up the burnt bread. He frowned as he held the scorching, black toast with two fingers and threw it into the garbage. I just shook my head at him, laughing a bit. "I must have gotten so caught up with reading I forgot about my food," the elderly man explained as he sat back down and went back to reading his paper.

"Smart, Al, smart." I poured the cereal into the bowl and placed the box down on the table as I went over to the refrigerator and took out the milk. I went back to the table and poured the milk into the bowl, the cereal making it's famous snaps, crackles, and pops. I slumped down into the chair and began to eat, but stopped as I heard footsteps coming in. I looked up to see Kori walking in, rubbing her eyes.

I smirked as I realized what she was wearing--my clothes. The shirt was very baggy, yet it still was the right length on her (damn height difference) She was holding onto the top of the pants so they wouldn't fall off of her, and they ended just above her ankles. I laughed a bit and she mouthed the words "shut up" at me, trying to hide her smile. She came up behind me and wrapped her arms around me, kissing my cheek. "So, this morning I received a wake up call from a soggy hand towel. Would you happen to know anything about that?" she questioned.

I grinned. "What would ever make you think I would have something to do with that, Kor?" I replied, and she giggled, sitting down in the chair next to mine. I glanced across the room to see Alfred getting up from his seat, smiling slightly.

"I believe I will give the...teenagers some privacy," he muttered as he left the kitchen. Kori laughed and I looked away silently. I really didn't want Alfred to leave. I needed to talk to Kori about...something, and Alfred staying gave me an excuse to procrastinate. I sighed and looked back in Kori's direction.

"Kori, we need to...talk," I whispered, and her smile faded.

"A-about what?" she asked, fiddling with the bottom of her shirt. I scratched the back of my neck and was silent for a moment before I spoke.

"Well, um...you kn--"

"Morning," Raven muttered as she walked in. I silently thanked her for cutting me off. Kori and I greeted the once again black-haired girl as she opened up my fridge. I hoped she'd be staying in here for a while. It gave me more time to hold off Kori and I's conversation. Kori was questioning me on what I was saying and telling me to continue, but I shook my head.

"Umm...not until...after Raven leaves," I told her in her ear. She raised her eyebrow but did not say anything. Raven came back and sat down with a bowl of Coco Puffs in front of her, beginning to inform us of the previous night's events.

"After you guys left, the night got so better, no offense," she started. I smirked. If Raven thought things got better, that meant something bad happened to someone else. "You know that Conner kid that Kitten was hanging out with?" Kori and I nodded. "Well, a little while after you ran out, the snacks started running low. So Victor's girlfriend Kolette is on the prom committee, and she went to the closet where they were keeping the rest of the food to get more. And when she opens the door, she finds Kitten and Conner um...well, in a very...involved position."

Kori and I immediately started laughing hysterically at the thought...but then stopped and both looked at each other with a disgusted expression. That only made us start laughing more, until interrupted by Raven. "So, what did you guys do after you left?" she questioned. The two of us fell silent and glanced at each other, then away.

The two of us stuttered out many "well"s, "oh"s, and "um"s before I finally answered with a "Oh, um...you know. Not much." Raven looked at us strangely but shrugged it off, stuffing Coco Puffs into her mouth. I let my head drop and looked at Kori out of the corner of my eye. She was red faced and her head was turned aside. She glanced over and took my arm, tugging slightly as she silently mouthed the word "come". I bit my bottom lip and looked towards Raven. "Um...we'll be back in a minute, Rae."

The two of us left the table as Raven nodded for us to go, and went into the hallway. Once out of the room, Kori closed the door and sighed. "I think I know...what you wanted to talk to me about," she said quietly.

"...yeah..." I took a deep breath and leaned back on the wall. "Kori I...I don't think that...that we should have...done that." She frowned.

"Richard, why would you...think...that?" She put her hands on my shoulders and looked me in the eyes, but I stepped away and looked to the side.

"Kori, we--it's not like--what if your dad finds out!?" I exclaimed. She looked down towards her feet.

"It is...not...that bad. We only did...um, you know."

"Yeah, it's not bad. That's why you can't even say the word." She groaned, running her hands through her hair as she slid down the wall. I sat down next to her and pulled my knees up close to me. "Kor...if you're thinking that...I regret doing that, I don't. It's just...what if..." I trailed off and heaved out a heavy sigh. "...bad things...could happen."

Kori leaned her head on her knees and slowly turned to face me. "Yeah...Richard, I assure you, I understand what you are saying. It is just..."

"So...awkward?" I finished for her. She smiled slightly.

"Yes...and...in the back of my mind, I just keep wondering if..." She looked aside for a moment, her cheeks turning red, before turning back to look at me. "Will we...ever do it again?" I smiled and grasped her hand.

"I...would hope so." She grinned at me and held onto my hand tightly. My smile grew, and I wanted to kiss her, but it was still a little bit to awkward for that. Instead I leaned over and hugged her, whispering into her ear. "I really do."

I sighed heavily and stuffed my hands into my pockets. Raven stepped forward and crouched down, clutching tightly to the boquet in her hands. Kori moved closer to me and slinked her arms around one of mine, leaning her head on my shoulder. Victor just shuffled his feet and looked to the sky. He felt out of place here. All of us had some one we lost, some one to mourn over. But Victor had both of his parents, and cemeteries weren't exactly his place.

I looked down to my feet to avoid looking at the gravestone. I hated this place. I hated all cemeteries. The gravestone wasn't much different than that of my own parents'. Except neither of them were named Timothy. Suddenly, Raven started busting into tears, dropping the flowers. She collapsed onto the ground, her body shaking. "Raven!" Kori and I both gasped, leaning over next to her. Victor kneeled down and pushed both of us away.

"I've got this," he whispered. "Richard, you suck at being comforting, and both of you are already depressed enough looking." Kori and I both mumbled words of agreement. Victor shooed us away, telling us that Raven would probably be okay in a few minutes. I began to walk away, and Kori run up behind me.

"I hate cemeteries," I told her. She frowned and grabbed my hand. "Every summer vacation...I go to Gotham City, this city in New Jersey. It's where my parents had their last show, before...they died. They were buried there. ...It's just...really depressing coming here. It just, reminds me of them, how I lost them. How...it was all my fault."

"Richard, you need to stop blaming yourself. Things happen. Some things you just have no control over. You think that...maybe if you just did one little thing to stop it, you could change it. But the truth is, that one thing probably would have been no help at all. Do you really think if you warned your parents about what you heard that night, they would not have performed. Do you truthfully think that, they would have believed you. Nobody believes a little kid. They think you are too young to know, to understand what is going on, but you do. When you say 'Mommy, I think that is too many pills' or 'You are drinking too much', they do not listen! They think you are stupid, but you know what they are doing wrong! And you know something bad is going to happen! But they don't listen, and then they die, Richard! They leave you, and they make you feel guilty, because they didn't listen to you!"

My eyes widened and my mouth dropped open slightly in shock. Kori was crying now, shaking her head. Bad memories were coming back to her. I pulled her into a tight hug and she sobbed into my shoulder. "And they tell you..." she continued. "'Shuddup Korinne', or 'I am fine, Starry', but you know what, they're not! And you come home from Kindergarten on your first week of school...and you find them dead on your kitchen floor, you think of the last thing you told them! You told them they were doing something wrong, but they ignored you and when you tried to tell them again...it is already too late. Because they already took...another one of those pills, and it just...might have been the one...that made them collapse...on that floor. But...you will never...know, because..." Her words faded out, and her sobs became louder. Her fingers were digging deeply into my back, and I hugged her even tighter.

I wanted to comfort her, but I was afraid I'd only make things worse. So I said the only thing that I thought was safe to say. "I'm sorry." And there were a lot of things I was sorry for.

I shoved the last box in the back seat of Arella's red Volkswagon Beetle, sighing in relief at being finished. Raven and her mother had finally found a nice, affordable apartment on the other side of town, and were moving in today. Arella had made the landlord let them in today. It was Raven's birthday, and Arella had promised that they'd move by now. Arella hated living with Bruce, Alfred, and I. She felt as if she was taking advantage of Bruce. He's got to share that money sometime...

Raven leaned on the side of the car and crossed her arms. "I bet you're happy to finally get rid of me. That way I won't end up walking in on your...intimate moments, anymore," she said in her usual monotone voice, yet still smiling slightly. My face turned crimson and I cursed at her under my breath.

"No, I'm not really, all too happy. I've lost my walking buddy," I told her. She rolled her eyes.

"Your girlfriend lives right next door, and half the time she's in your house, anyway. Why do you need me, exactly? The only other thing you need me for is helping you with your girl problems, and you could always just call me." She pulled out her black Samsung phone from her capri's pocket and waved it in front of my face for a second.

"Raven, you're my best friend, not my...marriage counselor. You know as well as I do that I'm going to miss you being around. Yeah, we'll still be in school together and stuff, but...it just won't be the same." It was silent for a moment and then Raven stepped forward and hugged me.

"Yeah, it will be," she muttered as I hugged her back. "It's like...I'm leaving my brother." I nodded in agreement. Arella started up the car and called out for Raven to get in, and she sighed. "I...gotta go." She backed out of the hug and opened up the car door, sitting inside. "Bye." She gave a small wave.

I waved back. "Bye...happy birthday." Raven smiled and closed the car door. Seconds later, the car began making it's way down the street, and eventually went out of sight as it turned the corner. I smiled and pulled out my Razor, quickly dialing in a number. "Hey Kor...do you think it's possible to legally adopt someone as your sister...?"


End file.
